


Just for Us

by LusciaKoushiro



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, Fluff, M/M, Post-Season/Series 07, Pre-Kerberos Mission, Sappy, Season/Series 07, Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-12
Updated: 2018-12-10
Packaged: 2019-08-22 15:00:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 29,049
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16600178
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LusciaKoushiro/pseuds/LusciaKoushiro
Summary: Taking place the night before the meeting where they discuss calling the lions to them, Keith has had a few things on his mind since their journey back to Earth and decides it's time to ask Shiro about them before the battles ahead.





	1. Self Reflection

 

It was late and the halls of the Garrison were as quiet as ever. Everyone knew what was coming, what awaited them among the stars. You couldn't help, but worry, but also, you couldn't help be determined- to never give up, if it was worth fighting for. That's exactly how Keith felt as he walked the halls, his eyes forward and not stopping until he reached his destination.

 

The door was shut before him and he took in a deep breath before knocking. He waits, but no answer. He sighed to himself before knocking again and adding; “Shiro, it's Keith. I need to talk to you.” He was hoping it wasn't too loud to echo through the hallways, but loud enough for his best friend to hear. Sure enough the door slides open and he steps through.

 

The office was dimly lit, the only official light source really was that of Shiro's data pad, to which the white haired man was staring at intently, as Keith made his way over and stood in front of the desk. After a few moments, Shiro rested the data pad down onto the desktop and shifted his dark gaze to the man before him. “You should be resting.” he said with his usual soft smile. Keith could only smirk as he took a seat; “I could say the same to you. You never change when it comes to 'crunch time'.”

 

Shiro let out a small chuckle as he recalled some of the nights he helped Keith cram for tests. “I like to be as prepared as I can be.” He leaned back in his chair, stretching his arms and legs a little before leaning forward again, his hands clasped in front of him on the desk. There was concern in his eyes as he gazed at the leader of Voltron; “What did you want to talk about?”

 

Keith could only stare, lost slightly in his best friend's gaze as his soft question hit his ears. He sighs after a moment, feeling slightly uneasy about what he had been pondering for awhile. “It's kind of stupid...” he trails off, now trying to advert his own gaze. Shiro quirked an eyebrow; “Keith... nothing you feel is stupid. Everyone's feelings are valid, no matter what they may be. You can tell me anything, you know that.” If it was even possible, as Keith shifted his glance back to the man before him, he could have sworn the look he was given was even softer than before. A look he has seen often and honestly felt was just for him. He inhaled, closed his eyes, breathed out, bracing himself; “Why did you go with Pidge?”

 

There was a moment of silence when the question left his lips. Shiro's eyebrow was once again raised; “I'm not sure I follow...” he admitted. The phrase was all too familiar to Keith. He slowly opened his eyes to see an honest questioning look staring back at him. “On our way back home-” he began; “We were in Black until we were captured. Then you suddenly wanted to ride in Green...” he paused, feeling a lump in his throat. Though this had been on his mind, he never realized how much it bothered him until he said it out loud.

 

“Ah...” He trailed off. He arose from his chair and moved to the front of his desk then proceeded to lean against it with his arms folded, but his soft expression never changed as he looked to his best friend; “I told you I needed time to think...”

 

Keith nodded; “But you never said about what. I can't help but feel that I did-”

 

“You didn't do anything.” Shiro stated, cutting Keith off. He sighed thoughtfully, trying to say his words with the utmost care; “Do you remember when we were being chased by pirates and one was trying to get inside the Black Lion?” He saw Keith nod; “I said I was going to take care of it, but your mother stopped me.”

 

“Right, because you were still recovering. She and I both didn't want anything to happen to you.”

 

“And I understand that, however...” another sigh escaped his lips and his gaze turned toward the ceiling. In his heart he hoped Keith would understand how he felt in that moment; “It was the first time I had ever felt helpless.”

 

Keith's eyes turned wide. In all the years he has known Takashi Shirogane, he has never heard him utter the word helpless. After everything he had gone through; both on Earth and in space, he had to wonder if that word was even in his vocabulary before. All he could do was stare as the light from the data pad was close enough to illuminate his face, casting shadows so delicately upon his features, but the one thing he could still see was that gentle look. He wanted to say something, anything at this moment, but words failed him and he continued to listen.

 

“It felt like everything hit me at once... and the realization hit me; what am I? Before I would have no problems answering that question; 'Ace pilot of the Garrison, or 'Garrison Golden Boy', Black Paladin, Leader of Voltron. Even Champion was among things that I was. But things change... I had no arm and couldn't fly, Voltron and Black itself fell to you, it felt like I was no longer a Champion and thus I felt lost.”

Keith's heart ached hearing those words. He felt tears sting in the back of his eyes, his hands clenched at the cloth of his pants. _'It's my fault you lost your arm... It's my fault you no longer feel you have a place....”_ His mind screamed. “Shiro... I-” he started, his voice cracking ever so slightly, but that thoughtful, gentle look turned back to him with a simple shake of his head; “Keith, I never, not once, blamed you. I would NEVER blame you.”

 

Keith shifted his gaze downward so his dark bangs covered his eyes. It felt like his heart was breaking, even if Shiro said he didn't blame him. “Shiro, I never wanted to make you feel like that....” he whispered.

 

“You didn't.” He pushed himself off of the desk and moved to Keith's side, kneeling down so he was at eye level with the Voltron leader. He could see the tears glistening in his dark violet eyes and with his prosthetic hand, he slowly raised it and firmly placed it on his shoulder; “You did everything I asked you to do... You didn't take anything away from me. You found me. You saved me.” He felt Keith's hand grasp the wrist of the prosthetic and gave it a tight squeeze. “I want to believe that....” He whispered.

 

“You can.” He stated firmly; “My first thought when I went to the Green Lion was; 'am I really free'? If you didn't cut that arm off, I would not be here right now and I-” he paused for a moment, to gather his thoughts as brief flashes of their fight flew to the forefront of his mind; “I don't know what I... HE would have done to you... Pidge ran some tests and concluded whatever the catalyst was to the witch was gone. I was free and alive thanks to you, not being able to fly is a small price to pay for being able to breathe.” He waited for Keith to say something, but not a sound was made, all he felt was the hand squeeze his wrist again. Shiro's voice was still as gentle and soft as ever as the next thought reached the Paladin's ears; “I then asked her to show me the data collected from the healing pod.”

 

“Why?” he whispered. Deep down he knew, but something inside him wanted to hear Shiro voice the same worry and curiosity.

 

“I had wondered when we were in the Castle if the pod I was in ever picked up on my disease. If it did, Coran and Allura were kind enough not to bring it up. But with this not being my body.... I had to know. You called to me, and I awoke to your voice. I didn't want to leave you... not again, if I could help it. But if my disease was still in tact, how much time did I have?”

 

“And?” said the next whisper.

 

His smile grew and his grip tightened; “Gone.”

 

Keith's head quickly shot up and his eyes locked with Shiro's, utter shock clearly seen in them, his tears dissipating slightly; “Gone?!”

 

He gave a reassuring nod; “From what Pidge could tell, the only ailment I suffered from was my lack of a limb.” He watched for Keith to react and found himself letting out a small chuckle at the sight of a pout on his friend's face from his sense of humor. “In all honesty, even with being a little out of sorts, I felt... good. Stiff from being inside the Black Lion for so long, but nothing like the pain I was going through while I was sick.”

 

“I-I'm glad, Shiro... but...” his worry seemed to be slowly coming back as he adverted his gaze once more, looking to his side, but his hand maintained its grasp on Shiro's wrist.

 

“I was given a second chance because of you.” He stated again, fondly; “It was a matter of figuring out how to proceed with that chance.” He took a deep breath, knowing this would be the harder part for him to explain; “My memories were his memories.... His memories are now mine...” He said and he felt Keith stiffen in his posture under his palm; “There were many emotions I was feeling, almost like it was a rush between my head and my heart.”

 

“Shiro...”

 

“He thought he was me.... He was designed to be, but the thoughts and images of what he did to everyone... to YOU, it turned my stomach into knots.” He moved his hand from Keith's shoulder, with Keith maintaining his hold as the palm of the prosthetic rested on his cheek, his thumb gently caressing the scar.

 

“It wasn't you...” Keith whispered and moved ever so slightly into the touch; “I don't blame this or anything else he did on you.” He paused and took a deep, much needed breath as he said; “I should have known it wasn't you...”

 

“You think so?” Came the question from that tender voice. Keith could only manage to glance at him out of the corner of his eye. “Keith, I watched you for months. Every night practically, going out into the depths of space, to search for someone who was no longer among the living.” He could feel the heat now running to Keith's cheeks, though Keith really had nothing to be embarrassed about. “I talked to you, you know? Told you how proud I was of you, thanked you for heeding my request... Saying to let me go.... Telling you I was sorry.” He could feel Keith once again trying to hold back his tears, tears that he rarely shed. “I even hugged you when you began to cry. And that was a thought that had crossed my mind one night while I was in Green.”

 

He fought back the lump that was in his throat once more and managed a sarcastic; “Nice that you thought about how fragile I was to be a leader...”

 

“Never thought that... Just because you let your guard down when you were alone, didn't and doesn't make you any less valid to lead. Anyone with a heart is allowed to break every once and awhile. It's how you pick up the pieces afterwards that matter. And it wasn't the fact that you cried, it was what you said... to me. Do you remember?”

 

Another deep breath ran through the Paladin as he gave a nod; “I said I still need you...”

 

“That's right. It ran through my mind for the remainder of that night in Green when I woke up, dreaming about that time. The thought of 'do they still need me?' running a mile a minute every which way in my head. You have become such a strong leader and more importantly, a friend, to the others that no matter what the question or concern was, they felt they could rely on you. It was a sad, but happy realization, however, your words still did not leave me. So I wondered, how was it that, you, still needed me?” He felt Keith's hand to start to shake against his wrist; “I thought long and hard about it and the only thing I could come up with was our fight... Keith...” he moved the prosthetic just enough so he could turn Keith's head to face him.

 

Before he knew it, his violet orbs went wide as his best friend leaned in, and pressed his lips on his. It was very brief, but when Shiro pulled back, Keith felt like his heart was going to leap out of his chest as Shrio rested his forehead against his, his smile never fading; “I love you too.”

 


	2. After the Fall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the lions crash to Earth, Keith is the first recovered and brought to the Garrison medical wing. Shiro is there with Keith awakening every now and again for small conversations.

There was nothing but still silence on the bridge of the Atlas as Shiro and his crew watched the five lions of Voltron plummet towards the Earth. The Captain felt his chest tighten as his eyes fixated on the Black Lion. “Keith...” he breathed out and his prosthetic hand gripped the console. He took a long inhale, closing his eyes; “Patience yields focus...” After but a few moments his eyes shot open and he quickly turned to his crew; “Coran, start assembling teams together to recover the other Paladins. Iverson, inform their families- I want them here as soon as possible. Veronica, you and the MFEs are to recover and escort those who were imprisoned back to the Garrison. Make sure Hunk's family is taken to the medical wing.”

 

“What about you, Captain?” Coran questioned, but it was likely he already knew the answer.

 

“I'm going to get Keith.” he stated strongly. He took one step away from the console, only to be greeted by Keith's cosmic wolf. A small smile tugged at his lips as he knelt down and placed a hand atop of the animal's head; “Let's go after him.” Within a blink of an eye the two vanished from sight.

 

Thankfully, Black wasn't too far from the Garrison itself. Shiro sprinted towards the muzzle of the Black Lion, placing his hand on it as he stopped. No words were spoken, but he could feel a 'he'll be okay' in his mind. The jaw opened and he and the wolf stepped inside. It was dark and the air felt halted. “Keith?” Shiro questioned, noticing that the chair seemed to be empty. He heard a small groan and gasp from just in front of the pilot seat. He moved quickly and knelt down and carefully took the Red Paladin into his arms. “Keith, can you hear me?” he asked. His brows furrowed as he noticed some blood on the inside of the helmet, but to his relief he heard the sounds of a raspy; “Shi..ro?”

 

Through the visor, the Captain could see that he was struggling to keep his eyes open. “Stay with me, we're going to get you back to the Garrison...” Shiro looked to the wolf, who gave a small whine as it looked to its master. It wiggled it's way under Keith's hand so that he had some kind of touch on him. Shiro followed, placing one of his unto the wolf's fur, teleporting into the Garrison's medical wing. The doctors were stunned for a brief second, but quickly took Keith onto a stretcher and began to wheel him behind the doors. In that moment, as much as he wanted to be by his side, Shiro took a seat in the waiting room with the wolf sitting beside him on the floor, his head resting on Shiro's knee.

 

***

Hours later the doctor emerged. He began to inform Shiro on Keith's condition; the worst by the sounds was the head wound he received from clashing against the console despite the helmet. Shiro stood from his seat, but a hand on his shoulder from the doctor stopped him, if but for a moment; “I'm sorry, Captain, but he really should rest.”

 

The white haired man shifted his gaze into somewhat of a glare; “Than he will rest with me in the room. He doesn't have family on Earth, unlike most of the other Paladins. I am all he has, so I am going back there and sitting with him. Only he can tell me to leave, is that understood?” His voice was a firm, yet calm as he said this and the doctor could only nod as he stepped aside. The wolf too followed close on Shiro's heels through the doors to the patient rooms. The sun had already set and the moonlight had begun to shine through the window, casting a gentle glow over the man in the bed. Shiro's heart ached as he gazed at the bandage around his head. He had a couple others on his arms that the Captain could see, but assumed there were more. He watched the rise and fall of Keith's chest as he pulled up a chair and sat down, reaching his human hand out to take a hold of Keith's. The wolf hopped up onto the windowsill and laid down, its eyes focused on his master. Shiro moved his thumb slowly and softly along Keith's knuckles; “I'm here, Keith... Please, wake up for me soon, okay?” he whispered.

 

\---

 

_Boots scuffled along the floor of the Garrison halls towards the apartments. A fifteen year-old Keith's eyes were down cast as he slowly moved forward, limping and holding his right wrist with his left hand. Every few steps he winced and he could feel himself almost sigh in relief when he reached his destination. He clung his right arm to his torso and raised his left to knock on the door. It took a few wraps before one of the muffled voices he was hearing on the other side make their way over. He glanced upwards to see someone who wasn't his friend and he felt himself blush under the shocking gaze of the brunette; “Sorry, is Shiro here?” he asks a little weakly._

 

_The older man still had his wide hazel gaze on him for another minute before turning his attention towards the kitchen area; “Takashi.” he stated, worriedly. Shiro was smiling as he rounded the counter, adjusting the jacket of his dress uniform; “Adam, I promise we aren't going to be late-” he started to tease the other man in jest, but then noticed the visitor on the other side of their doorway. His smile faded and he made longer strides to get closer; “Keith! What happened to you?!”_

 

_Adam moved to the side to let the boy in. Within just that first step, Shiro winced to himself watching him. “They jumped me...” he whispered as he moved to stand in front of his friend. Shiro gently placed a hand on his back and lead him over to the couch. After Keith sat down he could see the black eye starting to form. He turned to face Adam; “Can you get some ice?” he turned back to Keith; “Who jumped you? Where? When?”_

 

“ _You name it, they were probably there... I really don't know...” was the reply. A bag of frozen peas came into his vision as the brunette held it out to him. “Thanks...” he whispered, taking the frozen vegetable bag and placing it to his face. He hissed as the coldness touched bruised skin._

_Shiro glanced over to the clock on the counter. A silent sigh rolled through him as he slid over to Adam, placing a hand on the small of the man's back and moved him towards the door; “I'm sorry to ask this of you, but can you go without me? I'm not going to leave Keith like this.”_

 

_A soft smile played on Adam's face, he lifted his right hand and placed it on the side of Shiro's face; “You're a good man, Takashi.” He leaned in and kissed him on the lips. Once he was out the door Shiro began to unbutton the dress coat and sat next to Keith; “How many were there?”_

 

“ _Five... I think...”_

 

“ _Where were you?”_

 

“ _Coming back from the library. I was finishing up an assignment.” He winched as he shifted, wanting to look at Shiro; “I didn't do anything...” his voice raspy; “I never do anything...”_

 

“ _Did you fight back?”_

 

_He shook his head; “I didn't think you'd want me to...”_

 

_Shiro's eyes went wide; “Keith... when I said I didn't want to see you in fights any more, I didn't mean for you end up like this.” he moved closer and carefully pulled him into an embrace. Keith hisses, but what was more noticeable was his shoulders were shuttering; “It's okay to fight, Keith. If it's to defend yourself or someone you care about from harm, it's okay...” He pulled back and looked the boy over; “Did you go to the infirmary?”_

 

“ _What's the point? They're just going to blame me and not care...”_

 

_Shiro frowned at his words. He wished that he could put his mind at ease and tell him that that wouldn't happen, but everyone for some reason or another, found fault in this young man. He reached a hand out; “Let me see your wrist.”_

 

_Slowly Keith reached out as well and rested his wrist in Shiro's palm. With the utmost care, Shiro started to move it and watched Keith's face to gauge his pain. “Looks like it might just be a small sprain.” He looked down to the boy's feet._

 

_Keith noticed the glance and shifted so he could bring his left foot up; “My ankle is throbbing...”_

 

_Carefully again Shiro moved to take the foot into his hand. Unlike Keith's wrist, he could already feel the swelling inside the leather boot. He frowned and then just outright gasped seeing how much swelling there was after the shoe was removed. He stood from the sofa and walked towards the hallway and bathroom. When he came back he was holding some bandages and a couple extra pillows from the hall closet. “Lay back so I can patch you up.” He said gently._

 

_Keith does as requested and the two sat in silence as Shiro started to wrap up his ankle. After a minute or so Keith decides to break it; “So... who was that guy?”_

 

“ _What guy?”_

 

_Keith quirked an eyebrow; “What do you mean 'what guy?' The dude that was eating your face.”_

 

_Shiro let out a laugh; “Oh, you mean Adam. He's my boyfriend.”_

 

“ _O...oh...” 'Why did I stutter?' he asked himself._

 

“ _Does that bother you?”_

 

“ _What? No, of course not! It's just-” he adverted his gaze; “you've never mentioned him before.”_

 

“ _Hm... I guess I haven't.” He stood from the couch and went into the kitchen for more ice; “You two would have met sooner or later. I have told him a lot about you though, he was thinking you were more of a myth the way you have been crushing records in the flight sims.” he took a few glaces into the fridge before turning his attention back to Keith; “Did you eat?”_

 

_He shook his head; “Was going to hit the mess hall, but you know...”_

 

“ _How about some pizza then?” he grabbed his phone from the counter._

 

_Keith turned to look over his shoulder and it was then he actually noticed how dressed up he was- how dressed up he and Adam BOTH were. “Um... did I mess up a date?”_

 

“ _Huh?”_

 

“ _Your clothes.” he responded dryly._

 

_Shiro looked down and now remembered he was wearing a much fancier Garrison uniform; one that was more for banquets. “No, you didn't. The Garrison was just holding a formal gathering and was going to award me for another record broken.” He brought the phone to his ear._

 

“ _Shiro!-” he was halted by a raised hand. Keith waited till their food was ordered and his friend made his way back over to the couch. “You should be at that event.” he stated as Shiro sat back down._

 

“ _Hm? Why? I have done it so many times, that missing one isn't going to hurt anyone. Besides, you needed me, so here I am. I regret nothing, so don't worry about it.”_

 

_***_

 

_Later that night Keith had fallen sleep on the couch. Shiro had covered him with a blanket and was now sitting in a chair reading his data pad. The door hissed open and Adam quietly walked through, placing the plaque he had accepted on his boyfriend's behalf on the shelf with the others. Shiro stood from his chair and moved over to him, placing a kiss on his cheek; “Thank you for tonight, I owe you one, Baby.” he whispered._

 

_Adam smiled at the kiss, shooting him a loving glance; “I was happy to do it. Iverson however, was not. Not to mention some of the other higher ups.”_

 

“ _I'm not too pleased with them either, so I guess the feeling is mutual.” He stepped away from his boyfriend and towards the door. Without looking back he said; “Stay with Keith till I get back, okay?” there was very much a chill to his voice._

 

“ _All right..” he agreed and watched him walk out the door._

 

\---

 

Fingers started to move under Shiro's hold. His gray eyes moved upwards to see Keith's face twitching. “Keith? Keith, wake up...” he soothed as he rose from the chair so he could be closer to his face. Violet eyes slowly opened; “Shiro?”

 

“Hey...”

 

“Where did you go?” he asked, his voice tired and slightly hoarse.

 

“What?” came the confused reply. Shiro took his prosthetic hand moved some of Keith's bangs from his face, careful not to touch the bandage. “I've been right here with you...”

 

“No... the night I crashed at your place and you left me with Adam. Where did you go?” his piercing violet eyes were glued to the white haired man, no matter how groggy he was, he never wavered.

 

“Wha?” Shiro was stunned, he wasn't expecting that at all; “That was along time ago Keith, it's not important.”

 

“It is to me.”

 

Shiro took in a deep breath and sat beside him, still holding his hand with his human one. “I went to talk to Iverson about the bullying you were enduring. I asked him if he had looked at any reports that might have been filed about the fight you were targeted in.”

 

“And?”

 

“Keith...”

 

“And?” he repeated.

 

“And the reports he read said you started it. I told him it was bull and that you had some injuries. I asked if he questioned the others involved, he said he would get to it in the morning. I told him he would need to come to the apartment to get your statement he said it was not necessary. I then gave him hell about not giving you a fair chance and that you were always ridden off and made out to be this horrible delinquent. When I turned to walk away the only thing he said to me was 'your gold is starting to tarnish'.” he let out a small 'heh'; “I remember looking back at him over my shoulder and said; 'good, it's someone else's turn to shine'. And walked out.”

 

There was a faint smile on Keith's face as he tiredly picked up on some subtext; “Thanks for trying...” he said quietly as his eyes drifted shut again.

 

***

\---

 

_Keith laid on his back on his bed in his dorm room. His hands behind his head, his brows furrowed as he stared at the ceiling. “Stupid teamwork drills...” he sputtered as he rolled to his side, facing the wall, his back to his desk; “It's not my fault no one is at my level...” He shut his eyes, hoping to force sleep, but a small chime echoed through his room from his data pad. He rolled over and took it into his hand. He raised a dark eyebrow as he read;_

 

_Shiro:_

_Look outside._

 

_He does and sees his friend wave from below. The pad chimed again a moment later;_

 

_Shiro:_

_Grab a coat and come with me._

 

_There was a slight pause as he just stared at the message. He glanced to the clock in the corner and it was already an hour past curfew and he was already in trouble from earlier. Another chime goes off;_

 

_Shiro:_

_You'll be fine. Trust me._

 

_A grin played on his face as he grabbed his hoodie, threw it onto his shoulders and opened the window. His room was only on the second floor, so it wasn't too far of a drop; if he did it correctly. Not far from his window below him was an awning, to the right and below that was another small one. He placed one foot on the windowsill and hoisted himself up then carefully and quietly jumped to the ledge. He moved to the right and sized up the jump and made the leap to the smaller one. He was home free with the last jump and landed at Shiro's feet. When he looked up he could feel the redness coming to his cheeks as his best friend gave him the proudest of looks; “Well done.” he said, placing an arm around Keith's shoulders; “Now, follow me.” he whispered._

 

_They moved quickly among the shadows and the more they got away from the dorms, the more Keith was curious about where they were heading. To his dismay, however, the sight before him was one he wasn't too thrilled about seeing; a simulator room. Shiro motioned for him to take a seat in the pilot's chair while he booted up the game._

 

“ _Shiro, why did you bring me here?” he asked as he watched his friend plug in cords and power on the consoles._

 

“ _You looked like you could use some fun after what happened earlier.”_

 

_He groaned; “That's exactly why I don't want to be here.”_

 

“ _But flying is fun isn't it?”_

 

“ _I wouldn't know, we only ever get to be in the simulator.” he responded flatly._

 

“ _Hm... yeah, I can see how that would be boring.” the machine booted with a few hums and a loud booming sound echoing from the start screen, causing Keith to jump a little; “But this is no ordinary game, this has been deemed the hardest simulator at the Garrison, not even the highest ranking pilots have completed it. Commander Holt and his son are quite proud of themselves because of this.”_

 

“ _Heh, not even you?”_

 

_He shook his head; “Nope, so, you want to give it a try?”_

 

_Keith's grin was back on his face as he cracked his neck from side to side and grasped hold of the joy stick; “Let's do this.”_

 

_***_

_An hour or so had passed and Keith had let out a frustrated sigh; “Ugh, you weren't kidding me...” as a big red FAIL comes across the screen, he had only made it to level three out of the five that were programed. He tossed his head back into the headrest of the chair. “How far have you made it?” he asked, glancing over to see Shiro sitting in the co-pilot seat._

 

“ _Level three, same as you.” he leaned forward and to the side to look Keith right in the eye; “This does have co-op, if you want to see if we can finish it, together.”_

 

_Keith's eyes lit up; “Are you kidding?! Let's do this!”_

 

_***_

_Another couple hours pass, but they were having the time of their lives. They were in perfect sync with each other and listened to one another as they called out attacks on their flanks or energy bursts coming from ships or exploding stars. And then the game chimes with a sounds of victory as they read in large blue letters; LEVEL 5 COMPLETE! CONGRATULATIONS!_

 

“ _That was awesome!” Keith shouts, his adrenaline pumping. He looked to Shiro who was smiling so sweetly at him, clearly impressed and happy with the results; “I can't wait till you and I can fly together for real.”_

 

“ _Me either, but-” he paused leaning over the side of the chair; “In order for that to happen you need to have more of this energy in the classroom and less of a tired, exhausted tone.”_

 

_Keith was taken aback a little, his high now coming down; “Wha-”_

 

_He watched Shiro stand from the seat and stand in front of him; “I was just like you in some ways. I was far ahead of everyone, so when it came to doing things like the simulations I would be a little bored. Even if it was a simulator, I wanted to see what it could do, you know?” Keith nodded. “But I also learned quickly that my classmates just didn't learn the same way I did or had put more time into it that I had. So while I still went on head to learn more, I pulled back in class to help them focus and learn the basics.” He smiled; “However, I do think you should have more of a challenge in some way, so why don't we find somethings that might fill that need. Hoverbike racing perhaps?” he extended his hand._

 

_Keith was grinning from ear to ear and willingly clasped his hand in to his friend's; “You're on.” to his surprise, Shiro pulled him out of the chair and hugged him and whispered; “I'm proud of you.”_

 

_\---_

 

Keith once again stirred in his sleep and then slowly opened his eyes to see Shiro back in the chair, but his head resting on the mattress and he was still holding his hand. “Shiro...” he lifted the hand that was being held slightly, just enough to give a nudge. It took a few, but gray eyes started to open and stare into dark violet ones.

 

“Keith, you all right?”

 

“I think so, my head hurts though...” he adjusted his hand so he could interlace their fingers and as tight as he could, he squeezed the older man's hand; “Why did you keep doing stuff like that, back then...?”

 

 _'Another odd question'_ Shiro thought; “Like what?” he asked.

 

“Like the night you sneaked me out of my room past curfew to play a game.”

 

He chuckled; “Because, I knew what you were and are capable of, Keith. It was just a matter of letting you see it to.”

 

“Did the Garrison ever find out?”

 

There was a smirk on the Captain's face; “They did start treating you better, didn't they?”

 

A faint chuckle passed through Keith's lips as he rested his head back in against the pillows; “You always...” his eyes were drifting shut; “had my back....” he was asleep once again.

 

Shiro's grip tightened and that look that seemed to be just for the Red Paladin was on his face; “And I always will.”

 

***

\---

 

_It was mid afternoon and the Garrison classes had just let out. Keith, now sixteen, was free for the rest of the day. His first year there had been rough and though he didn't really like working with others he was tolerating it. The dream of being able to fly with Shiro was in sight, so long as he settled down and focused, even if the material to him was basic. He smiled at the thought as he approached Shiro's office, but he stopped short when he heard voices, angry and frustrated voices. He wasn't quite sure what to do, he has never heard Shiro get angry and thus wanted to stay to make sure he was all right._

 

“ _Are we seriously having this argument again?!” Shiro snapped._

 

“ _Takashi, you need to slow down and rest. You are taking on way too much.” Adam replied, trying to be calmer than his partner, but the frustration was there._

 

“ _Tch..” Shiro scoffed; “I don't need you to coddle me.”_

 

“ _I'm not trying to, but you clearly need to be told when to stop.” Adam's tone shifted to more of a scolding one, his arms folding across his chest; “You know I want to support you in everything you do, but not if that means you are putting your tasks above your own well being.”_

 

“ _Who says I am?!”_

 

“ _Takashi, you almost collapsed in the gym. You have been staying up late, running reports. I have barely seen you in months!”_

 

“ _Yes, I have been busy. You knew this would happen at some point when we started to date with all the attention I was getting.” he sighed; “And yes, I did almost faint, but you know what I did? I stopped myself from continuing and rested the for the remainder of the day.” he slammed a hand to his desk._

 

“ _You call burying your face in your data pad, working and then going out with HIM rest?!”_

 

“ _Leave Keith out of this, Adam.”_

 

_Keith's eyes widened when he heard his name and his heart felt like it was going to burst from his chest. He placed his hand over his heart, willing it to calm down as he continued to listen._

 

“ _How can I? You seem to just drop everything when he is concerned. You even break rules for him. If anything, that kid is adding to your stress.”_

 

“ _No, this conversation is adding to my stress!” his brows furrowed as he glared right into those hazel eyes before him; “You have no idea what it's like for him. Feeling like the world is out to get you, like you don't have a place. Having to fight tooth and nail for everything you have. I KNOW you don't know what it's like...” He took in a deep breath and turned his back to his boyfriend; “I think it's best that you leave now, I don't want to say something I will regret later.”_

 

“ _Takashi-”_

 

“ _Leave, now!”_

 

_As footsteps inched closer to the door Keith left from his spot against the wall and rounded the corner, watching Adam leave, clear hurt written on his face. He couldn't help feel a little guilty however, was Shiro really not spending time with the one he loved the most because of him? His heart ached; “It's not like that....” he whispered to himself. Keith felt himself torn between his mind and his heart; on the one hand he wanted to comfort his friend on the other he felt to blame for some of it. He sighed and was about to leave when his data pad chimed._

 

_Shiro:_

_Hey, you mind if we don't race and just take a ride somewhere?_

 

_Keith typed back with no hesitation;_

 

_Keith:_

_Sure, meet you in the hanger. I think I know a good spot._

 

_Keith returned to his dorm then after to do a quick change out of his Garrison uniform and grabbed a backpack. From there he ran to the mess hall and picked up a couple bottles of water, two sandwiches and of course, Shiro's favorite mac n' cheese. He placed the containers and bottles into his bag then headed to the hanger._

 

_Keith took in a breath before entering, smiling, hoping to lighten the mood. Shiro gave a small wave and a half smile. “Sorry it won't be challenging for you today, I've just kind of had one of those kind of days, ya know?”_

 

_Keith nodded; “Don't worry about it. I grabbed some food so we can stay out for awhile if you need to.”_

 

_His expression softened again, the look that made Keith's heart beat faster and faster. “Thanks.” he hears him say as he watches him get on to his bike and waits for Keith to do the same. “Lead the way.”_

 

_Keith got on his bike and did as requested, he lead Shiro out into the desert. The path was the normal one in which they raced on, but instead of stopping where they normally had, he took him farther out, practically to the middle of no where. Keith started to slow his pace as a small shack came into view. They parked their rides on the side of the house and moved onto the porch, taking a seat on the wood and looked out into the vast waves on sand._

 

“ _Is this where you grew up? Shiro questioned._

 

“ _Yep... Only thing my pop had, really...” He leaned back onto his hands and looked to the sky; “I come out here whenever I really need some time away.”_

 

“ _It's nice that you have a place like that.” His voice was calm, the way Keith knows Shiro to be, but there was a sense of longing there. “Sometimes... it just feels like something out there just wants to crush you and makes it so you can't breathe...” he shut his eyes, taking deep breaths, as if he was trying to maintain his calm._

 

“ _You can come out here whenever you want, Shiro.”_

 

_Shiro opened his eyes again and shot Keith a surprised look; “I don't want to intrude on your sanctuary.”_

 

“ _It's not intruding if I say it's okay.”_

 

_He chuckled; “I suppose you have a point.” he glanced to the bag that rested next to Keith; “You said you brought food?” Keith gave a nod. He opened the bag and handed him a plastic spork and the container of mac n' cheese. Shiro once again gave him that soft, kind look; “Hey, Keith?”_

 

“ _Yeah?”_

 

“ _Thanks for being a friend.”_

 

_\---_

 

Keith stirred and cracked open an eye. He groaned as the sun beamed in, which caused the Captain to turn to face the bed. “Good morning.” he said softly. Noticing how Keith was squinting he shut the curtains a tad before going back over to his bedside.

 

“It's morning?” he asked rather dazed. Shiro nodded and took Keith's hand again while holding his data pad in the other. “They have you working already?” Keith questioned once their fingers were interlaced again.

 

“Sort of.” he sat on the mattress beside him; “I've been getting updates on the others. Thankfully they are all here and resting. I spoke to your mother briefly and her along with the other Blades will be here soon.” he sighed, “And I apparently need to give speech that will be broadcast to the entire universe.” he glanced to the clock on his pad; “And it's only 7am.”

 

“Did you sleep at all?”

 

“For an hour, maybe two. After you woke up the second time, I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”

 

Keith moved over to his left, pulling on Shiro's hand. “Lay with me then.” He said. Shiro complied and settled in with him, placing his prosthetic arm around his shoulders, his human hand and Keith's still holding onto each other. The wolf looked up from where it had been laying and blinked over to lay at Keith's feet.

 

“I don't think you should be on the bed.” he said to the animal. He then turned his gray gaze down to Keith as he snuggled closer to his chest.

 

“It's okay, I think it's nice.” he felt the grip of the Altaen arm tighten as if to hold him closer; “Hey, Shiro?”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Did Adam hate me back then?”

 

 _'What's with all these questions suddenly?'_ he wondered. “No. A little jealous maybe sometimes, but he never hated you.”

 

“Could have fooled me...”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“He blamed me for you not spending time with him. Me or work, never him.”

 

Shiro could only blink. He knew very well those arguments he had with his ex, but they had never been in earshot of Keith. “H-how did you know about that?”

 

“I was outside your office.”

 

A smile tugged at the end of his lips; this was the second time he has heard of Keith being on the outside of a very serious conversation. He leaned down and kissed Keith on the top of the head; “It's not true, though.”

 

“Sounded true.”

 

“Adam and I wanted different things and that was made more clear the longer we were together.” his prosthetic moved from Keith's shoulder to his head as he gently played with the strands as he spoke. For him, this was not an easy subject; not then, not even now. “When my illness started getting worse, he was trying to control every little thing I did. I know it was because he cared, but there was no real discussion over it, so I started to do my things without telling him what I was doing or where I was headed, just to avoid those arguments.”

 

“You still loved him though?”

 

“Of course I did... I wanted to marry him, but being on a clock I had to make a choice and it was my choice to make, even if we were together.”

 

“I hope I never came off like that... to you.” Keith said quietly.

 

“Coddling and helping are two completely different things. And you have always allowed me spread my wings.”

 

Keith smiled into Shiro's chest and they stayed like that in silence until sleep claimed them both.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was much longer than I had originally thought it would be due to the flashbacks. In fact two of them didn't make it in, but fear not they will make an appearance else where. Hope you all enjoyed!


	3. To Me You Will Always Be...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After recovering from the fall, Keith finds he doesn't want to return to his lonely room. He moves in with Shiro under the guise of a roommate to the others, but is so much more to each other; new uniforms are issued, memories shared and a bond that will never be broken.

It had been weeks since Keith was released from the medical wing and with each passing day he loathed going back to his empty room. While in the hospital he was visited not only by his mother and Kolivan, but Shiro was there without fail even when his duty beckoned him away. It was nice, but once he was released he longed for those moments again, of just the two of them.

 

Though they were in a time of silence in the battles, their work was never done. Keith sat next to Shiro on a sofa that resided in the Captain's apartment, his eyes glued to the data pad that the white haired man held as they went over how the reconstruction was moving along and going over some drills for the MFEs and Voltron. This was what it was like for the two of them, alone together, but never without a distraction from their roles as the Captain of the Atlas and the Leader of Voltron.

 

“I guess that's enough for the night.” Shiro said, a little relieved as he set the data pad down and stood from his seat to stretch his legs. He looked at the clock and frowned, noting the late hour.

 

Keith followed his gaze and stood as well; “I... guess I should go.” he said, disappointment clearly vibrating through his voice. He moved towards the door, but stopped only a few inches away. “Shiro...”

 

“Yes?” the sound of concern making its way to Keith's ears.

 

“I...” he blushed a little. “I...” he stuttered again. _'Why am I so nervous? This is Shiro I'm talking to.'_ He took in a deep breath and said; “I don't want to leave.” He slowly turned to look back at his best friend, to see him approaching him.

He placed a hand on the side of Keith's face once he was close, a smile, the smile, playing on his features; “Then don't.” he said softly, closing the gap between them in a gentle and tender kiss.

 

The two could feel the heat rising in their cheeks as they moved across the room, still lip-locked. Shiro guided him through the living room, around the back of the couch towards the hallway. The two chuckled into each other as they stumbled down the hall, knocking into the walls as they moved. The door to the bedroom hissed open and they made their final approach to Shiro's bed. Keith could feel that smile against his lips as Shiro put some of his weight on him, moving him down to the mattress. After a few more heated passes of their lips, Shiro broke the kiss and stared lovingly down at the man beneath him; “Maybe... we should slow this down...”

 

Equally out of breath, Keith chuckled and smirked; “Don't you dare...” he placed a hand on the backside of Shiro's head, pulling him down again.

 

Shiro's blush intensified, but there was a relaxation there; knowing that Keith had wanted this just as much as he had. Their hands started to roam and clothing became undone and discarded. Soon they were skin to skin, nothing remained between them except for love.

 

Shiro pulled back, adjusting himself. It was then that Keith truly saw the scars that traced the man's body. He was in awe of just how beautiful and powerful his love looked in the moonlight that was flowing through the window. He let out a low moan as he could feel Shiro prepping him, his own body shiver with anticipation. _'How long have I waited for this?'_ he wondered. His violet gaze never leaving Shiro.

 

He took a breath as Shiro started to enter his body, a feeling he welcomed with open arms, as he reached out for his lover to lift him up so he was now straddling him. Their eyes locked, their lips once again met as Keith slowly moved his hips, grinding against the man within him. His moan vibrated upon Shiro's lips just before he broke the kiss, setting his sights on the scars. He moved along Shiro's neck, shoulder and collar bone. Taking hold of Shiro's human hand, intertwining their fingers, bring the arm closer to him, being sure to let his lips linger on each scar he came across. All the while maintaining his rhythm and balancing himself with his other hand on the Captain's shoulder.

 

“Keith...” he breathed out.

 

Shiro's voice brought Keith's attention back to his gray eyes; “I love you, Takashi...”

Those gray eyes widened as he heard his first name spoken so softly, so lovingly. He leaned forward to capture the leader's lips once more. Tenderly he wrapped his arms around the other man, letting go of Keith's hand, lowering him back to the mattress, now taking over the rhythm Keith had set for them and re-interlacing their fingers.

 

Shiro's heart thumped loudly in his chest, no words coming to mind, but he was hoping that his actions were speaking volumes of just how much he loved and cared for the man that had found him, saved him and suddenly became his everything.

 

***

 

The two laid skin to skin under the covers, Keith resting his head on Shiro's chest while Shiro gently ran his human fingers through the raven locks. “I just want to stay like this...” Keith whispered.

 

“I mean we could... but meetings could be quite difficult. I'm sure Iverson would have words about our choice of dress code.” Came the dry, sarcastic wit that Keith adored.

 

“Stop...” he chuckled, his face flushing at the thought of a video chat going into the conference room. “I just... I just really want to be around you more. We rarely get any time to just be like this.”

 

Shiro smiled, his gaze shifting down to the man in his arms; “I believe it's the first time we have actually done THIS.”

 

Another laugh escaped through Keith's lips, this time also resulting in a loving swat to the chest he was using as a pillow. “Stop.”

 

Shiro too let out a laugh, his hand moving to hold Keith's shoulder; “Okay, okay. All jokes aside, why don't you move in here with me? There's plenty of room.”

 

Keith adjusted, sliding out of Shiro's grip to lean up on his arm to look his lover in the eye; “Really?”

 

There was that smile again, Keith was pretty sure he was going to melt one of these days with how warm it was. “Of course. I've missed OUR time together.” he emphasized.

 

“I'll move my stuff in tomorrow.” he said with a smile. He laid back down to retake his position and Shiro's arm back on his shoulder. “You gonna be okay with the wolf living here too?” he questioned.

 

“Absolutely, this place will start feeling like a home.”

 

“Home...” he whispered, shutting his eyes, listening to Shiro's heartbeat. “I like the sound of that...”

 

***

The buzzing of an alarm clock echoed through the bedchambers, resulting in an annoyed groan from the Voltron leader. He cracked open a violet eye and soon pouted when he saw the spot next to him empty. He scooted along the mattress and slammed his hand against the cursed clock. “Ugh...”

 

“Sorry, I thought I would be back before it went off.”

 

Keith sat up and eyed the doorway to see Shiro, partially clothed in his uniform, coming back over to sit next to him. He smiled as he took the cup of tea that was presented to him. “It's alright, I know you have an early start.”

 

Shiro took a sip of his coffee before leaning in and placing a kiss on Keith's scared cheek; “Still, you looked so peaceful...” he said, guilt cutting through his voice slightly; “If you want, you can go back to sleep and I can leave you something to eat.”

 

Keith chuckled; “I think I can manage, besides-” he grinned, “I think I would rather make us something and not have to go back to the infirmary.” There was a playful pout on the Captain's face, causing Keith to chuckle again, he placed his tea on the nightstand and move in for a chaste kiss on the lips.

 

“Throw something on and I'll meet you in the kitchen.” Shiro said, standing from the mattress, flashing Keith his smile and walked out the door.

 

Keith sat on the bed silently for a couple minutes, drinking his tea, his own smile not leaving his face. _'This is real...'_ he thought. He set his beverage down again, removing himself from the blankets to search for his discarded pants. He blushes as he finds them and puts them on; _'It was all real...'_ he thinks, recalling the night before. How it was so loving and tender, yet passionate. He grabs his drink from the bedside table and makes his way out of the room, down the hallway and into the kitchen. As the proverbial pinch to calm his thoughts, he glides over to the white haired man who was sitting at the counter. He draped his arms over the other man's shoulders, hovering above his ear and whispered; “Good morning, Takashi.”

 

Shiro blushed and gave a shy smile as he looked at Keith; “Sounds good when you say it.” they brushed lips again; “Just make sure to only call me that when it's just us, okay?” he said softly.

 

Keith removed himself from the other man and proceeded towards the refrigerator, pulling out some eggs and cheese. He sifts through he cupboards grabbing a medium sized bowl and then locates a decent size frying pan to place upon one of the front burners. “I have no issue with that, but can I ask why?”

 

Shiro lifts himself from his seat to stand behind Keith, wrapping his strong arms around his waist. His chin resting on his shoulder; “How many people have you heard call me by my first name?” he asked softly.

 

“A few.”

 

“That weren't an introduction.”

 

Subconsciously, Keith had known what he was doing when he called him by his first name as there was only one time in his life when he heard it in that way. “Just one.” he admitted as he cracked a few eggs into the bowl, then giving them a quick whisk, then pouring them into the pan.

 

Shiro could sense there was a little apprehension, so he tightened his grip; “If we aren't keeping this a secret, I am more than willing to hear you shout it from the rooftops, if that's what you want.”

 

Keith stood silently as he watched for the eggs to bubble so he could fold over the omelet, taking in his lover's words. He smiles, thinking back to Shiro's confession, their moments when he was recovering, to their little secret getaways through out the day. It was special, they were special. “I like that it's just us.” he said fondly, leaning his head against Shiro's.

 

“Me too.”

 

The two sat across from each other at the counter once the meals were finished, Shiro's prosthetic interlaced with one of Keith's hands as they talked about their plans for the day. Keith gave the Captain a sympathetic look as it sounded like he was going to be in meeting after meeting through out, with very little time for a break. “I'll come and see you around lunch time, just message me when you're free.” he said with a smile; “I'll just be moving my stuff and unpacking.”

Shiro nodded; “You aren't going to need help?”

 

Keith quirked an eyebrow. He was so excited with the prospect of living with Shiro that he had completely negated the possibility of needing help, even if he didn't have much. “How am I to explain this to the others?” he asked, from their standpoint, there would be no reason for such a move, lest they figure it out.

 

Shiro shrugged; “If they ask just say we're roommates. You've crashed here quite a bit while we have been working so it isn't a stretch.”

 

“Fair enough... but I am pretty sure they know this is a one bedroom.”

 

He watched the flick of white fluff motion towards the first room in the hallway; “Can say we are converting my home office into a room for you. Having a normal living space, they shouldn't want to intrude.”

 

All logical points, Keith had expected nothing less as he lifted Shiro's Altean hand and brushed his lips against his knuckles; “Still as crafty as ever.”

 

The Captain smirked; “I do my best.” He glanced to the clock on the wall, a tiny sigh escaped his lips; “Guess I should finish getting dressed.” he pulled Keith in for one more kiss before relinquishing the slender hand and moved back to their bedroom.

 

Once inside he maneuvered to the closet, removing his normal Garrison issued uniform jacket, but before putting it on he wandered over to his side of the bed and sat down. He glanced to his nightstand drawer, reaching for the knob and pulling it open. He smiled softly as he pulled out a maroon, velvet box. Slowly he opened it, producing an elegant golden band; “Maybe soon...” he whispered. He closed the box, shoving it in his pocket, then threw the uniform jacket over his shoulders, finishing buttoning it up as he reentered the living room.

 

Keith was waiting for him by the door; giving one last kiss and embrace before Shiro was off to his meeting filled day. “Guess I better wash up a little before braving the halls.” he muttered. He gathered his clothes, save for his underwear, off the floor and proceeded into the bathroom. A dark eyebrow once again quirked as he set his sights on a large, dress box, sitting on the toilet; “Well that's odd...” There was a part of him that wanted to open it, but he ignored it; reminding himself he still needed to be respectful of Shiro's privacy. He quickly brought it to the bedroom, laid it on the bed and was back in the bathroom for a relaxing shower.

 

Once dried off and dressed he exited the apartment and proceeded towards his room on the other end of the Garrison. He tried to have his face remain neutral as he walked, but he could feel that he wanted to just smile. Never in his life would he think this was ever going to happen; that the one person who believed in him, never gave up on him, now loved him in the same way he had for years.

 

He honestly felt like he was floating as he stopped in front of the door to his room. To his surprise a familiar dress box was leaned up against the door frame. He lifted it into arms and opened the door. He only managed a few steps in before his beloved wolf blinked in and out to pounce him onto the floor. Keith laughed and petted his friend on the head; “I'm sorry I wasn't here last night.” he received a few licks on his face before the wolf moved off of him and Keith noticed the disarray of his bed; “But I see you managed just fine without me.”

 

He adjusted to a kneeling position, placing the box to the side and rested his forehead against the wolf's, his smile tugging at the end of his lips; “I hope you're okay with moving in with Shiro...” he felt the animal move its head forward in an approving nuzzle; “I know I am.” He looked around his room, only seeing a few changes of clothes, his Paladin armor and Blade of Marmora outfit that were the only major things worth taking. He wandered over to his dresser, removing a clean pair of black jeans, a black t-shirt and boxer-briefs. The wolf just started at him as he made the change in clothes. The wolf made a tiny whine and placed a paw over its eyes as Keith pulled the now too tight shirt over his head; “Don't judge me.” he said jokingly.

 

Once cleaned up he started to place his armors in the boxes he had from the castle and it honestly didn't take long for him to pack up, only knick knacks or personal items he had to take with him were his sketchbook, a few art supplies and his data pad, which he had placed in a duffle bag . He sighed; “I wonder if anything is still out at the shack... or if the shack is till standing...” he mused. He moved the boxes with his armor a little closer to his wolf, slung the bag over his shoulder and picked up the dress box. Before he could give his faithful companion the go ahead that he was ready to teleport his door hissed open with the Blue Paladin making his way in.

 

“Rise and shine, fearless leader!” he shouts, but then is taken aback when he sees the sight before him. “And where do you think you're going?” he asked, crossing his arms; “You're not running away again, are you?” a small hint of concern in his voice.

 

Lance had accused him of running away before, when they were all going 'space mad', but Keith could hear the worry in his question. He stood up straight, looking Lance in the eye; “No, I'm just moving out of here.”

 

Lance quirked a inquisitive eyebrow; “So... you going back out to the desert or something? That doesn't make much sense with the war and all.”

 

Keith shook his head, making sure to keep himself calm and collected like he always was when he talked to or about the Captain of the Atlas. “I'm moving in with Shiro.”

 

There was silence between them, and one could almost hear crickets while Lance contemplated his leader's words before he responded with a kind hand resting on Keith's shoulder; “Listen man, I know you're worried about him vanishing again, but this might be a little excessive...”

 

Keith had to fight going pink in his cheeks; “It's not like that, Lance.” His voice was soft, softer than usual when he spoke to the other Paladins. What his teammate had said wasn't entirely wrong, but he wasn't about to treat Shiro like he was made of glass. “I've just been passing out at his place with all the late nights we have been putting in. Being roommates just makes it easier for us, but-” he placed a hand on Lance's wrist; “thank you, for being concerned.”

 

“Oh, well I guess that makes sense.” he said, pulling his hand back.

 

Keith then noticed something unfamiliar in what the Blue Paladin was wearing. It was a Garrison uniform, but instead of that hideous orange it was a beautiful sky blue. “What are you wearing?” he asked.

 

“This?” he did a quick pose, his thumb and index finger framing his chin as he flashed a quick grin; “Coran had some new uniforms made for us, since Voltron is a 'specialty' unit. Pretty sweet, right?”

 

Keith glanced at the dress box; “Somethings not right...” he whispered under his breath, but still loud enough where Lance picked it up.

 

“Hey, you okay there?”

 

“Hm?” he looked back to his friend; “It's nothing. I should probably get my things over to Shiro's and unpacked so he isn't dealing with boxes everywhere.” he knelt down to the wolf, placing a hand in his fur, leaning it into the boxes behind them and with a blink of an eye they were gone.

 

“What boxes?” Lance questions to an empty room.

Back at the apartment, Keith set the two boxes with his armors to the side of the door, against the wall, then proceeded with the duffle bag and dress box to the bedroom. The box Keith had moved from the bathroom was sitting on the foot of the bed where he had placed it. He took a breath before placing his belongings on the bed and opening up the box Shiro had left behind. Inside was a stunning Garrison uniform, white with black on the collar, shoulders and sleeves and five golden stripes on the shoulders. “Why would he not wear this?” he placed the lid back on and faced his wolf; “I guess I can ask him later...” Something as simple as an article of clothing shouldn't have been bothering him, but it was.

 

He latched back onto the wolf and teleported away again, this time to his old home in the desert. To his amazement, the property seemed to be unscathed from Sendak's attack. The door creaked open and the inside was just as he left it with his conspiracy board catching his eye. He stood before it, glancing over to some of the pictures he had tacked to it. He smiled, remembering when some of them were taken. He reached out and untacked one of Shiro, smiling so sweetly at him, then looked to the note that had been placed next to it; _It's killing me when you're away_ it read. “And it still does.” he said to himself.

 

He began to take down all his old photos from the board and placed them on the old coffee table behind him. To the left side of the board on its frame were a pair of dog tags. Keith carefully removed them and held them to his lips, closing his eyes; thoughtful of days long ago. He wrapped the chain around his wrist so he was wearing them more or less as a bracelet as he continued to remove the photographs. Once they were down he turned his attention to a box that was tucked away in the corner between the wall and futon. His wolf followed Keith's gaze as it laid lazily on the futon. Keith pulled it out of the corner, kneeling down to get a closer look at it's contents. On the top was a familiar leather jacket; “I completely forgot I had this...” he said aloud. He pulled it out and brought it to his nose and closed his eyes. His face now becoming a little sad as he remembered...

 

_At seventeen years old, Keith stood outside Iverson's office, fists clenched anger and frustration pouring out of his entire being. His glare only intensified when Iverson gave him the three strike warning as he made it very clear that there was no mistake and it was a 'pilot error'. When the door closed on him, Keith stood in the hallway, closing his eyes, his mind raced; 'What am I going to do?' he thought. He took a deep breath; “Patience yields focus...” he whispered to himself, starting to maybe connect some dots together._

 

_'They aren't listening to me.... I'm technically nothing to Shiro...' he thought. 'So, if they won't listen to me then maybe... they'll listen to the one who loves him the most...' his eyes opened; “Adam.” he whispered, turning on his heels, sprinting towards the apartments._

 

_He stopped in front of the door catching his breath before knocking. After a moment or two there was no answer, he tried again and louder, still no answer. Third time he added; “Adam, it's Keith, are you there?” he waited and still no answer. He wasn't about to give up though, he turned to the control panel on the side and to his surprise the door was unlocked. He stepped inside; the room was dark with no light except from the television screen. Keith turned and felt a pang in his chest as he watched the news feed of the 'Pilot Error' play in the background. “Adam?” he questioned into the darkness. His eyes adjusted and he made out a figure of a man sitting at the counter in the kitchen._

 

_He could see a liquor bottle open upon said counter top and he braced himself for what he knew would be an emotional conversation for the both of them; “Adam, I need your help. Iverson won't listen to me about opening a search party.”_

 

“ _Keith...” came a low and raspy response._

 

“ _You know Shiro better than anyone. You know what they're saying isn't true!” his voice cracked with raw emotion._

 

“ _Actually Keith...” he lifted his gaze from his drink to meet the violet eyes of the teenager that stood near him; “I do believe them...”_

 

“ _Wh-what?” he gasped; “How can you say that?! Shiro is the best pilot here! There is no way any of this is his fault!”_

 

“ _Keith...” he began standing from his chair, inching closer to him, placing a hand on his shoulder. His voice sad, but firm; “Takashi made his choice...”_

 

_Keith wanted to interrupt, wanted to find a way to reestablish the faith Shiro's boyfriend once had in the man he loved, but the words never came. The air in the room felt different as Adam spoke; “I told him not to go, but he didn't listen...” Keith now taking in that he did truly believe the reports as he noticed by the door that Shiro's awards were taken down and a box of his belongs beginning to overflow near the door._

 

“ _He didn't listen to me and now he's taken two innocent lives with him...” those words spoke volumes in Keith's ears. His fingers balled into a shaking fist as he quickly turned and struck the other man in the face, hard, sending him to the floor. He could feel the heat radiating from the intense anger, even hatred, hearing those words as he stood over the older man, fists still clenched; “If you really believe that...” his voice growling; “Then you have no right to say you EVER loved him.” he gave one final glare, then proceeded to storm out, but not before he grabbed Shiro's jacket from the box by the door._

 

The wolf licked the side of Keith's face, bringing him back from his trip down memory lane. He sighed; “He's gonna be mad when he finds out...” he whispered. He placed the jacket back in the box and continued with locating everything that holds some sort of importance to him. He went up the old creaky stairs and into the bedrooms. He gave a sad smile as he entered his father's room, remembering all the times he would just curl up with his dad, not wanting to be alone or the memories that were revealed by his mother during their time in the Quantum Abyss. He started to rummage through the logical places, finding more photos either loose in drawers or in frames. He opened the nightstand drawer and spotted a gold band glistening ever so slightly as the sun hit it just right through the window. He took it into his hand, now holding it up to the light.

 

His smile turned into a genuine happy one as he recalled seeing one of Krolia's memories during their time together, of his father and her exchanging rings of promise; “A promise, huh?” he mused, placing the ring in his pocket.

 

He then made quick work of his old childhood room, inspecting some of the old stuffed toys and taking a few that were still in fairly okay condition. Once back down stairs he placed everything in the box with Shiro's jacket then sat down on the futon with his wolf. Keith ran his hand along the soft fur, leaning back onto the futon; “I guess we still have a lot to talk about...”

 

***

Keith had spent a good few hours just sitting in his old shack with the wolf, mulling over what he needed to discuss with Shiro and when might be the best time. After awhile he returned to the apartment and unpacked, throwing some clothes into the laundry along with looking up how to delicately wash stuffed animals, so he could clean them up too. Keith sat on the sofa with his back against the arm, his feet on the couch, his knees bent as he doodled in his sketchbook. His wolf happily sleeping at his feet; _'Shiro was right, this does feel like a home...'_

 

His attention diverted when his data pad chimed. He leaned over to the coffee table to pick it up.

 

_Shiro:_

_I picked up some lunch for us. I have about forty-five before my next meeting if you want to come by my office._

 

Keith smiled as he quickly typed back;

 

_Keith:_

_On my way._

 

Keith set the data pad down again and caused the wolf to stir. It gave a low growl as it looked at its master. “Sorry, buddy. I'll be back soon.” he gave him a pat then went back to the bedroom to retrieve his boots. When he entered his eyes immediately darted to the leather jacket he had laid atop of Shiro's dress box. He sat on the bed, putting his boots on, his eyes never leaving the jacket and box. “One thing at a time...” he breathed. Once his shoes were on he grabbed the jacket and proceeded to Shiro's office.

 

When he arrived Shiro was finishing up some paper work on his data pad. He lifted his gray gaze and his eyes showed signs of relief as he looked upon his boyfriend; “You are a sight for sore eyes.” he said sweetly as the door hissed shut. He set his data pad down and removed himself from his seat, making long strides to embrace his lover.

 

“That bad?” Keith questioned, returning the hug with one arm while trying to hide the jacket behind his back with the other.

 

“Just long.” he replied tiredly. He released Keith from the hug, but cocked his head questioningly; “Are you hiding something?” he asked, noticing Keith's stance.

 

“I... found something when I was going through some of my stuff at the shack.” he brought his had around to reveal the article of clothing.

 

“Is that my jacket?” he asked, a hint of surprise creeping up in his voice.

 

“Your dog tags are in the pocket too.” he sighed looking away sheepishly. “Please, don't be mad...” he whispered.

 

He took the jacket into his hands, but his eyes remained on Keith; “Why would I be mad? I'm glad you had these things, especially if they provided you with some sort of comfort. But, how did you get them?”

 

Keith continued to stare at the floor; “It's... kind of the reason I was booted from the Garrison...”

 

“Keith?”

 

“The 'Pilot Error'...” he choked out, slowly turning his attention towards Shiro; “Iverson gave me the three strike warning after I insisted on the Garrison sending out search parties... calling BS that they blamed it all on you... I meant nothing to you then.... so I thought they might listen to Adam...” He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath before meeting Shiro's gray eyes; “But he believed them... and practically called you a murderer...”

 

Shiro's eyes went wide hearing that, he knew he and Adam had left on bad terms, but he never once thought him capable of thinking such an ill thing of him. “Keith... what did-?”

 

“I was so angry... I just went on instinct, thinking 'how could the person that loved him the most not believe in him'? So I... hit him... hard. He hit the floor... I yelled and then stormed off, grabbing your jacket from the box of your things before I left.” he shook his head, sighing; “I'm sorry, Shiro...”

 

There was a small pause before Shiro said; “Why are you sorry?” his voice very soft and loving.

 

“What?”

 

“Are you sorry you did it?”

 

“No.” he said plainly; “I'm really, really not.”

 

“Are you sorry you told me?”

 

He shook his head; “I always want us to be honest with each other, like we always have been.”

 

Shiro smiled; “Then you have nothing to be sorry for.” he reached his human hand out and cupped Keith's cheek; “I may not like the end result, but I love that you believed in me that much, because you weren't wrong. The person who loved me the most did believe in me...” he lowered his hand to take Keith's and guide him over to sit in one of the chairs in front of his desk. Shiro pulled the chair adjacent to it a little closer so he could still hold Keith's had as he sat; “It's not completely surprising that Adam believed the reports, he and I didn't end on good terms and-”

 

He was cut off by a shocked; “You what??!” from Keith.

 

Shiro blinked; “Adam and I broke up before I left, you knew that.”

 

Keith frantically shook his head; “No, no I didn't. I'm pretty sure I would remember something like that.”

 

“Hm... do you remember about maybe two weeks before the launch, I was sitting on the roof of the Garrison?”

 

Keith nodded; “Yeah... it was after curfew and I snuck up there to watch the meteor shower.”

 

“Right and you asked what was wrong and I said that Adam and I had the biggest fight of our relationship.”

 

“Couples fight.” Keith stated, though secretly hoping he and Shiro never do.

 

“That's exactly what you said back then, even when I said it wasn't our normal bickering. I then asked you if you would come to the launch.”

 

“You also said 'just in case Adam doesn't show'.”

 

“No, you said that.” he corrected; “You asked if Adam would be angry if you were there too and I said that I really doubted he would show up with how upset he was. I then told you that I really wanted... needed you there, that's when you said 'just in case'. I only agreed with your statement because I was afraid you were going to turn me down if I didn't.”

 

Keith's eyes widened as he recalled the conversation now. He let go of Shiro's hand and leaned forward to hug him; “I'm such an idiot...” he sighed in to his lover's shoulder.

 

“No, you're not...” he soothed, returning the hug; “You were always there when I needed you the most, even when I was held captive.” he felt the grip tighten around him, which he returned with equal intensity; “You gave me something to come back to...” He held him a few minutes more before pulling back enough to look into the deep purple abyss of Keith's eyes; “I love you, Keith.”

 

“I love you too...” he leaned forward, capturing Shiro's lips for a quick kiss. His smile coming back as he pulled away, now looking at the food containers on Shiro's desk; “Shall we eat?”

 

Shiro gave a nod and passed a container over to Keith along with a spork. The two spent the rest of their time talking about what things Keith had brought into their home, mainly the pictures. Shiro smiled at the thought of the ones with Keith and his father, making a mental note to either get frames for them or at least a photo album. Time seemed to fly by as they finished their lunches, as Keith was getting ready to leave, Shiro placed his leather jacket over his lover's shoulders; “It's not going to fit me anymore.” he said with that tender smile.

 

Keith slowly put his arms in the sleeves then turns to face his boyfriend, a tint of pink in his cheeks; “Shiro...”

 

“Look at that... a perfect fit. Just like you.” he lifted on of Keith's hands in his and brushed his lips against his knuckles; “I'll see you later tonight, Sunshine.”

 

Keith tried to control the heat in his cheeks as he reentered the hallway. The door behind him hissed shut as his mind screamed; ' _Did he just call me Sunshine?!'_

 

_***_

Keith sat in bed with his wolf at his feet, reading. It was late and Shiro barely came through the door to their bedroom. Keith gave his lover a sad smile as he watched him drag his feet along the floor and start to strip out of his uniform; “At least tell me you had dinner.” Keith commented, to which he received a nod.

 

“Was something very quick with the twenty minutes that was allotted.” he yawned as he sat on the mattress to remove his boots from his aching feet; “I'm glad we're making progress, I just wish I had a little time for a breather.”

 

“Well, tomorrow I'll be right there with you.”

 

Shiro smiled at the thought; “That's all I could ask for.” he chuckled. Once stripped down and changed into a pair of gray sweatpants then climbed into bed, finally relaxing against the pillows.

 

“Hey, Shiro?”

 

“Yes?”

 

“Am I going crazy, or did you call me Sunshine earlier.”

 

He blushed; “I did, is that bad? I just wanted to find a name that suited you that could just be between us. I can think of something else if you don't like it.”

 

“I just... don't know if it fits me.”

 

“Oh, I one hundred percent think it does.” he rolled onto his side to face his lover; “When my thoughts are cloudy, you're there to bring me out of the darkness. You make me smile, and laugh. Everyday is brighter because I have you in it, so yes, you are my Sunshine.”

 

Keith blushed, but also pouted; “Well, I guess I should think of something for you.”

 

“You already call me by my first name...”

 

Keith shook his head; “It's not quite the same. I want something special, because you're special to me.”

 

Shiro smiled and propped himself up to give his boyfriend a long passionate kiss. “Goodnight, Sunshine.” he said after pulling away, his forehead resting against Keith's.

 

“Goodnight, Takashi...”

 

***

The following morning Keith yawned as he reentered his and Shiro's bedroom. He was fully showered and dressed in his new uniform. He frowned however as he watched Shiro once again go to put on one of the standard issue ones. “Shiro...”

 

Hearing his name, he looked to see Keith coming over to him from over his shoulder. Keith nudged him to the side as he went into the closet; “Take that off.” Keith demanded.

 

“Wha-?”

 

The Voltron leader pulled out the dress box, taking off the lid and removed the Voltron issued uniform; “Why aren't you wearing this?”

 

“Keith...”

 

“Tell me, please.”

 

He sighed, looking away; “Because it's for Voltron.”

 

“Right, and?”

 

“And...” he shut his eyes, clearly looking a little sad; “I'm not a Paladin anymore...”

 

“That's, not true.”

 

He opened his eyes to see Keith with the most kind and genuine smile on his face as he held the uniform jacket; “Keith, you're the Black Paladin, I can't-”

 

“Yes, you can. You'll always be the Black Paladin... I just fly the lion.”

 

“Keith, that's what makes you-”

 

“No... Shiro, everything about you, is what makes you a Paladin. The way you hold people up and inspire them, the way you listen, the way you shield them. You always think of others before yourself. You are a Paladin.” He placed the jacket on Shiro's shoulders; “And you always will be...”

 

The white haired man felt himself smile. He took the new jacket into his prosthetic hand as he shook off the old one. Once the other fell to the carpet he placed his arms on the sleeves. Keith inched closer, placing his delicate fingers on each side of the open uniform; “Look at that.... perfect fit.” he smiled

 

Shiro smiled softly; “You really are my Sunshine...” the two leaned in and closed the gap between them, holding on tight, making their kiss more passionate by the second.

 

***

The two sat together during their morning meeting, both trying to be attentive as Sam spoke of the technical advancement they had made for the restoration. Shiro had his data pad in hand under the table, on occasion glancing at his screen as he typed. He made a few side glances out of the corner of his eye before nudging Keith lightly with his foot. When Keith adjusted to casually look at his boyfriend he saw him motion with his eyes to his data pad. Keith followed with his purple gaze to read the Captain's screen;

 

_Shiro:_

_Set your pad to vibrate._

 

Hoping it wasn't noticeable to the others around the large table he quirked an eyebrow. He takes his pad in hand and does as told. He made it look like he was taking down some notes, just as Shiro was as he opened the messaging app.

 

_Keith:_

_Everything okay?_

 

_Shiro:_

_Perfectly fine, just been thinking. What's your schedule like after this?_

 

_Keith:_

_Some drills with the cadets, then some exhibition of some of the training sims that Pidge has been working on. Should be done around sixish if all goes well enough, why?_

 

_Shiro:_

_I have one more meeting after this and then just some paperwork. Was thinking maybe we could sneak away tonight, have some dinner under the stars out in the desert. What do you say?_

 

_Keith:_

_Sounds perfect. Where do we want to meet up?_

 

_Shiro:_

_The hangers, we'll take one of the bikes. I'll handle everything, just message me when you're on your way._

 

_Keith:_

_Sounds great, I'll see you then._

 

He glanced around the room before typing quickly;

 

_Keith:_

_I love you._

 

_Shiro:_

_Love you too, Sunshine._

 

Without missing a beat Shiro stood from his seat to address Commander Holt, shifting the conversation to the defense systems that were to be implemented during the restoration. Keith could only blink in amazement; _'How does he do that?'_

 

***

Shiro sat down at his desk now that his second meeting was over. He smiled fondly as he reread his conversation with Keith in the board room. He wanted to relish in the thought of their night out. To him, it had to be perfect. He leaned to his left, opening his middle desk drawer, pulling out the small, maroon, velvet box; “I can't wait to put this on your hand...” he whispered to himself, placing the box in his pocket.

 

He started to work on the paperwork, all the while still making preparations for the night to come. He called down to the mess hall to have a few things made that he could pick up before he left for the hanger. He made sure he had a blanket set so they would have something to sit on and every now and then he felt the box in his pocket.

 

***

Keith raced back to the apartment once the simulation was done to change his clothes; his typical black t-shirt and jeans and now Shiro's leather jacket. He also opted to pull his hair back into a small ponytail, to look a little special for his boyfriend. His smile was wide and sweet as he opened his nightstand drawer, pulling out his father's gold band; “Let's make that promise...” he whispered, putting it in the front pocket of his jeans. He grabbed his data pad quickly and typed;

 

_Keith:_

_I'm on my way down._

 

_Shiro:_

_I can't wait._

 

Keith made it to the hanger in record time. He felt the heat rising in his cheeks as he noticed his boyfriend was still in his uniform, looking quite dashing in his opinion Shiro smiled sweetly, noticing his jacket framing his lover quite nicely. He motioned with his head for him to hop on the bike after him. His smile softened when he felt Keith's arms around his waist; “Hold on tight.” he said as he started the bike and sped off out into the desert.

 

They found a nice spot on a cliff that over looked the waves of sand, but also felt close enough to the sky. Shiro laid down the blanket so Keith could have a seat as he fetch the food containers and drinks. The two just found themselves lost in each others' company; gentle touches, memories of their races through the sands and just outright enjoying hearing the other laugh. The sun began to set, on the cusp of twilight. Shiro reached into his pocket as did Keith.

 

“Keith-”

 

“Shiro-”

 

They said in unison. They stared at each other, noticing they both had something in their hands. They both laughed and smiled; the white haired man giving a nod to his lover; “You first.”

 

Keith adjusted to face Shiro properly, now exposing the ring he held between his index finger and thumb; “When I was in the Quantum Abyss, I saw my parents exchange rings; with all the promises of friendship, love and devotion. All my life I had wanted something like that, something that I knew was special and would want to hold on to for the rest of my life.” he smiled, looking right into the beautiful gray eyes before him; “And then I met you... You who had shown me love and compassion, patience and even faith. From the moment I took your hand, I learned to love myself just as much as I started to fall in love with you and as time went on you became my everything.” He reached out and took Shiro's human hand; “You guided me in every way someone possibly could, becoming a guiding light. You illuminated my sky when all I saw was darkness, you shined brightly so I could find my way. You were and will always be, my Starlight. With this ring, I want to devote the rest of my life to you, if you'll have me.”

 

Shiro was holding back tears as he listened to Keith speak from his heart; “Of course I will.” Keith gently pushed the gold band onto Shiro's ring finger then lifted it to his lips, giving it as soft brush of his lips before saying with a chuckle; “Now you go.”

 

The Captain took a moment to just look at the gold band that now graced his body. It was overwhelming to know Keith wanted to share his life with him. He took a breath and opened the ring box, removing the golden band from within; “My grandfather gave this to me, telling me that it was meant for the one I cherished. The one who would always believe in me, allow me to chase my dreams and soar. The one who would shine through whatever shadows may lurk in my past, to only see me standing there. You may not have been my first love, but you showed me a love I could never have imagined through our friendship. You saw me for who I am, for better or worse, through good and bad. You found me when no one else would look... you saved me in all the ways I could possibly be saved... You radiated a light I never realized I was missing from life with nothing but pure love and devotion. You are the light of my life, my Sunshine, and I would like to spend the rest of my life to be that kind of light for you. Will you marry me, Keith?”

 

Keith could feel tears stinging the back of his eyes, he didn't expect to get emotional, but Shiro had a way with his words. He lifted his left hand as he nodded; “Yes.” Shiro glided the ring down his lover's slender finger. He gave it a quick kiss before capturing his fiance's lips, the two now laying on the blanket.

 

Sunshine and Starlight intertwined with all the love and passion in their universe, becoming their own twilight under the setting sun melding with the stars in the sky above.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm dedicating this to vprp Shiro and Keith as they were the ones who call each other Sunshine and Starlight. I don't think I would have captured so much emotion in this chapter without watching their interactions these passing weeks. 
> 
> The proposals I think will be my favorite things I have written for a long time and I hope you all enjoyed it!


	4. Echoes of Angels

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Allura has agreed to go on an official date with Lance, which has the Blue Paladin excited, but he quickly starts to fret over every tiny detail on what the date should be as he wants it to be perfect. Despite Pidge and Hunk giving him grief, Keith suggests talking to Shiro as he has been the only one among the Paladins to have ever dated. That's when the others realize; did they even know Shiro?

It had been a couple weeks since that night under the twilight where the Captain of the Atlas and the leader of Voltron made a promise of eternal devotion. Shiro had his arms around Keith's waist in their bedroom, gazing out with window, the sunlight kissing their golden bands. It was a good way to finish their morning routine before heading out into the Garrison to face the day. Shiro sighed after brushing his lips against Keith's cheek and pried himself away from his lover. He frowned while taking his ring off; “This is the worst part of the morning...”

 

Keith wandered over to his side of the bed, sitting on the mattress, with his index finger and thumb of his right hand on his ring. He stared at his hand, gently moving his thumb along the gold; “Yeah... I'm finding it harder each day.” he paused as Shiro was coming around to his bedside. He lifted his purple gaze to meet Shiro's gray orbs; “I don't want to take it off...”

 

The white haired man sat next to his lover, that soft smile tugging at the corner of his lips; “Does that mean you want to tell everyone?” he placed his human hand on Keith's knee; “I'm okay with that if you are, but just know that once the news is out we'll be the focus of a lot of people's attention.”

 

Keith shook his head; “No... I still want this to be between us, at least until the war is over. There just has to be a way we can hide it...” as soon as those words left his mouth, his eyes widened a little. “Oh...”

 

“Oh?” Shiro questioned, noticing that it looked like Keith had thought of something.

 

The Red Paladin reached over to his nightstand and pulled the drawer open. He smiled as he pulled out his black, fingerless gloves. “Don't know why I didn't think of these sooner...” he said, chuckling to himself as he placed them onto his hands.

 

Shiro could only watch with a thoughtful and tender gaze. That look of his becoming ever so softer; “You still have them.”

 

Keith returned the look; “Of course I kept them. They were the first thing you ever gave me.” he placed a gloved hand atop of Shiro's human one; “You were always with me, even when I was with the Blades, I kept you close.” he closed the space between them for a chaste kiss.

 

Shiro leaned his forehead against Keith's; “Unfortunately, I don't have an option like this.”

 

“We'll think of something.”

 

***

 

The morning meetings and drills seemed to just fly by as all the Paladins, save for Shiro and Allura, were gathered in the common room. It was the first time in a long while, or so it felt, that they could get together and relax from their busy schedules. Keith was leaning against the wall, a small smile pulling at the ends of his lips as he watches Lance joyously repeat the words; “She said yes! We're going on our first date!”

 

“And I'm sure the rest of the Garrison is well aware of that with the sheer volume you are protruding right now.” Pidge stated, though slightly sarcastic; “Mind taking it down a notch?”

 

Lance quickly turned in her direction, everything about him still radiating with excitement. “Yes, I mind, this is the best thing that has ever happened to me.” he beamed, holding his hands in to a fist before him, elbows bent in a triumphant 'yes!'; “I have never felt this excited about a date before. Everything needs to be perfect!” Keith found himself subtlety rubbing where his ring was under his glove, thinking about the perfection that was their engagement night. He understood exactly where Lance was coming from.

 

Hunk shrugged; “I don't man, you seemed this pumped when Siana Graves said yes to you.” He chuckled, starting to count on his fingers; “Not to mention Krissy Knowlen, Jennifer Bard, Lilly Ghellar-”

 

“It's not the same thing!” he sighed; “Allura is different, she deserves nothing but the best.” He placed his index finger of his right hand to his chin as if to be in deep thought; “I just need to think of the perfect date. A walk just the two of us? Are walks even romantic? What if she's tired and just wants to sit? A movie? Hm... if we do a movie then we can't talk... Maybe dinner?”

 

“Just make sure you don't take her for ten cent tacos from some shady looking food truck.”

 

“That was one time!” his eyes narrowed; “Dinner sounds like a good idea, but I don't know what would be best... Something fancy? But then we would have to get dressed up... but burgers and fries don't sound good enough for her... Maybe Chinese food? What if she isn't hungry?” he paused, his eyes widening and his complexion going slightly pale; “Oh no, what if I take her some place to eat and she gets sick or DIES because she's allergic?!”

 

“Great job, Hunk, you broke Lance.” Pidge smirked.

 

“You know...” Keith said from the wall; “If you're really stuck for ideas, you could ask Shiro.”

 

And like as if someone slammed on the brakes, Lance stopped his panic and quickly turned to face his leader as did the other two Paladins. “Uh, no offense to Shiro, Keith, he's a good leader and everything, but he doesn't seem like he knows anything about romance.”

 

“Yeah, he never talked about anything like that before.” Hunk commented.

 

Keith arced an eyebrow; “You guys do know he was almost engaged, right?”

 

“WHAT?!” Hunk and Lance shouted. Pidge adjusted her glasses, remaining unfazed, but her attention remained on Keith.

 

Keith blinked; “You guys really didn't know that?” he sounded surprised, but deep down he knew it wasn't much of a stretch that they might not know something that personal about his love.

 

“Well, I guess if he was close to walking down the aisle he might be able to help.” Lance stated, a hint of hope in his voice; “But isn't he in meetings all day? Seems like we never get to see him anymore unless it's at drills or in our case the occasional meeting.”

 

“He should be in his office just doing paperwork. At least that's what he told me this morning. I'm sure he'd welcome a break.”

 

Lance nodded and head out the door with Keith not far behind. Hunk too was ready to leave, but stopped at the door to look back at the Green Paladin; “You gonna come hear about Shiro's love life?”

 

“I don't need to, I already know.” She said, bringing her knees up to her chin, her face almost sorrowful.

 

“Pidge?” He turned back on his heels, concern vibrating through his vocal cords.

 

“Shiro was a legend in our house, but he was also like family... He worked a lot with my dad and quickly became Matt's best friend. Mom thought of him more like a son each time he came over.” She hugged her knees a little tighter; “I didn't talk to him much... but I should have been able to say something aside from 'he was a legend' when he went missing...”

 

“Pidge...” Hunk sat down next to her, his eyes empathic towards her.

 

“He DIED and I couldn't say anything more than that... He was sympathetic, understanding, helpful and even encouraging when I was looking for my family, but the night he came over to stay at our house after breaking up with his boyfriend I just shrugged it off, not even thinking how he felt...”

 

Hunk reached an arm around her shoulders, placing her in a half embrace. “I understand how you feel... about when he died. I can only imagine what Keith thought about us just talking about Shiro being a pilot and not a whole person... I mean... Shiro is an inspiration, but I guess at that time that one word didn't spring to mind or even give other reasons how he is such.” He tightened his grip on Pidge; “He must have felt very much alone too, when we came back...” he realized; “If he and his boyfriend broke up... it seems like he had no one to come back to...”

 

Keith knocked on the door to Shiro's office, it opening only after a few wraps. The two Paladins stepped through and sat in the two chairs in front of Shiro's desk after he had motioned for them to do so. The two stayed silent as the Captain appeared to be finishing up a report. Shiro sighed in relief as he moved the large mound of paper to the other side of his desk, marking it off as done; “So, what brings you two down here?”

 

“Lover Boy Lance needs some advice.” Keith smirked.

 

“Oh?” Shiro looked to the Blue Paladin quizzically.

 

“So Allura agreed to go on a date with me, but I don't really have the best track record for dates...” he admitted; “Keith said you were engaged so I was hoping you could help.”

 

Shiro's went wide briefly, shooting a glance to his fiance and internally sighed in relief when he saw him mouth the word 'Adam'. “Ah... We were almost engaged, yes. How can I help?”

 

“What did you do on your first date with your fiance? What made it special?”

 

“Our first date was actually with a group of friends.” he laughed. He got up from behind the desk and stood in front of it, in between the two chairs. “I was so nervous when I asked him out and ended up saying it was a group outing to an amusement park that was about an hour away from the Garrison.” he laughed again; “Finding people was kind of tricky on such short notice, but we all had a good time. After maybe about thirty minutes in the park we separated from the group and did our own thing; certain rides, playing games to win prizes; our date at the park ended in one of those photo booths. As for what made it special...” he looked right into Lance's eyes; “He made it special.”

 

“How?”

 

Shiro chuckled, giving a small glance to Keith who was shaking his head at his friend; “This is probably one of the best pieces of advice I can give you; no matter where you go or what you do, the person who has your heart will make anything special with no effort at all.”

 

“I just want it to be perfect... but what if-”

 

“Let me stop you there. 'If you worry about what could go wrong, you're going to miss the chance to do something great.' Don't over think this, the more you do the more you'll either miss what is right in front of you or mess it up.”

 

“Why did you decided on a theme park?”

 

“As I said, I panicked and said it was a group thing. To be honest, it starting as a group of friends made it a little easier.”

 

“Did the others know it was a date?”

 

Shiro chuckled again, rubbing the back of his neck; “Sort of, only a couple of the girls who we were with us knew I liked him. But everyone was supportive when they figured it out. If you are truly nervous, you could do a group date, there is nothing wrong with that.”

 

“I don't know, I was kind of hoping to spend some time alone with her and just talk...” he smiled, hearing her voice in his head; “I just want to listen to her talk forever...”

 

Shiro smiled as did Keith. “Than maybe you should think of places or things to do where you can do just that. Maybe think of something she likes to make her feel apart of the planning, even if it is a surprise.”

 

“Hm....” he leaned back in the chair, his arms folded and was deep in thought. He was silent for a few minutes before it looked like a light bulb went off in his head; “She used to talk about the Juniper Berries that were on Altea a lot, maybe I could take her into the gardens here at the Garrison.”

 

“That sounds like a good start.” Shiro commented, smiling still.

 

“I can ask Hunk what would be a good picnic meal... I would love to get her something to wear...” his smile and excitement were beginning to return; “Maybe even a little something extra for a gift.”

 

“Sounds pretty 'perfect' to me.” Shiro said, giving quite the approving look.

 

Lance jumped from his seat; “Thanks, Shiro.”

 

“Anytime.”

 

The Blue Paladin grabbed onto Keith's arm and pulled him out of his chair. “What are you doing?” Keith asked as he was being tugged.

 

“You're gonna help me in the markets, I could use another opinion.” he continued to pull him to the door, but stopped as he heard Shiro's voice; “Mind leaving Keith here for a few minutes? I have somethings to discuss with him.” Lance saw the white haired man turn to another small stack of papers on his desk.

 

“Ah sure.” he let go of his leader's arm; “I'll meet you in the garage so we can drive into town. Try not to take too long.” he beamed and was out the door with the pep back in his step.

 

The door closed and from the controls at his desk, Shiro made sure the door was locked before he moved over to his fiance and wrapped his arms around the man's waist. Keith placed his arms on Shiro's shoulders, returning the embrace, but pouted; “How did I get roped into this date thing?”

 

“You brought him here.” Shiro chuckled; “But it's good that he wants your help, before he never would have asked for anyone's. I like that he can trust you with this.”

 

“I guess...”

 

“Hey...” Shiro paused, looking into the deep purple depths of Keith's eyes; “I hope me talking about my first date with Adam didn't make you feel uncomfortable.”

 

“Why would it? It's not like he's gonna rise from the dead and take you back. I'd beat him back into the ground if he tried.”

 

Shiro let out a booming laugh; “And you talk about my sense of humor.”

 

He smirked, “I learned from the best. Nothing is going to take away my Starlight.” Keith placed one of his hands on the back of Shiro's head and pulled him down to capture his lips. The kiss quickly became heated as Keith moved the Captain towards the chairs, pushing him down to sit. His smirk was again at his lips as he straddled his lover. Taking one gloved hand, he unbuttoned the top of Shiro's uniform to expose his neck and collar bone. Keith broke the kiss began to lightly trace his lips to the other man's cheek and down his neck.

 

“Keith...” he panted; “Y-you should be... going...”

 

“He can wait a little longer, I'm not done with you yet, Captain.” Keith moved a little lower, stopping at the nape of Shiro's neck.

 

Shiro gasped as he felt the force of Keith against his neck. He smiled, seeing how passionate his lover was getting. Once he found his voice he said; “Just... make sure my collar can hide it...” Another low, gasping moan passed through Shiro's lips as he heard a muffled; “Yes, Sir.” against his skin.

 

***

 

Lance leaned against one of the cars in the garage, his arms crossed against his chest. He heard footsteps echoing towards him, he lifted his gaze to see his leader approaching; “That must have been some report you two were going over.” he commented.

 

“I just wanted to be thorough, one less thing he'll have to be concerned about later.” Keith stated.

 

Lance gave a small frown; “That man really needs to take a break.”

 

“Tell me about it...”

 

Lance held up the keys, trying to put the mood back onto a much happier one; “We ready to head out?”

 

“Yep.” Keith quickly snatched the keys out of Lance's hand; “I'm driving.”

 

“Wha-? Why do you get to drive?”

 

“Cause I said so. Besides, I probably have been driving for much longer than you.” he said, climbing into the driver's side seat. Lance followed suit on the other side; “Uh, we were only a year apart, just because you had a fast forward on a space whale doesn't mean you have been doing it longer.”

 

Keith laughed as he checked his mirrors and backed out of the parking space; “Maybe not, but me stealing Shiro's car when I was fifteen does.”

 

“You what?!” he heard Lance shout as he sped out of the garage.

 

Once they were on the road and driving at a normal pace Keith responded; “It was how we met.”

 

“H-how did you steal his car? And why for that matter?”

 

“He came to my school to find recruits, which I am sure he did for your school as well. “ he saw Lance nod out of the corner of his eye; “I could have cared less, I just... didn't care about anything. We were forced outside to try the simulator he brought and I just sat on the curb until he asked me if I thought I had what it took.” He sighed, not really liking the other pieces of this particular memory, “At the time the highest level anyone had gotten to was level three, until I sat down. I passed level five, surprising everyone, but of course the others thought I had either cheated or that the simulator was broken... all because it was me.” He paused again to keep himself collected; “James was the one who had said the machine must be broken, but he was called away by our teacher as I started level six. I heard Shiro ask if I was on the list of students and my teacher just...” he gripped the stirring wheel a little tighter; “Rode me off as a problem child, like everyone always had. I heard her introduce James to him and I just had enough. So I just hopped out of the sim, saw the keys in Shiro's car and said screw it.”

 

“You really stole his car...” he said in disbelief; “Was he mad?”

 

“No... he bailed me out of Juve, told me to meet him at the Calypso and he said he wanted to help me.” He started to smile as he drove; “He was the first person to see me for who I was and actually wanted to give me a chance. He didn't even know me and he wanted to give me a hand.”

 

“Wow and here I thought he was my hero...” He turned his head to face Keith, just watching him drive; “I never realized just how close you guys were. A lot of us were jealous when we would see you two hanging out together. I know Hunk and I were, we would have given anything to be around Shiro like you had been.” he sighed, leaning his head back against the headrest; “It makes a lot more sense now why you were so upset after our fight with Zarkon and all I could think to say about him, to you, was 'He was my hero'; when that was nothing compared to what he was to you.”

 

“Doesn't make what you feel any less valid. He knows he inspires people and I'm sure hearing that from you would make him happy. Though I will admit at the time it did sting a little, but it never occurred to me that you guys didn't know him like I did. Allura was honestly the only one who understood how I felt... Shiro will always be irreplaceable.”

 

There was a moment of silence between them before Lance decided to ask; “Hey Keith?”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“When Shiro was talking to you from inside the Black Lion, how loud was he?”

 

“He was perfectly clear. It was only for a couple minutes, enough for him to tell me what happened to him, but I could hear every word.” he glanced out of the corner of his eye again, to gauge Lance's facial expression; “I called out to him too, asking for help to get to you guys...”

 

“Hn...” he chuckled; “ 'you had help' .”

 

“You have time to get to know him, Lance. He isn't going anywhere.”

 

“That sounds a little odd coming from you.”

 

“I made him a promise and I intend to keep it.” he said as he pulled up to a parking lot that was just outside the markets. ' _As many times as it takes...'_

 

The two walked from stall to stall browsing at their wares. Lance managed to find a simple, yet elegant, white dress with matching shoes for Allura to wear on their date. They then found themselves looking through a jewelry stand, where Keith's eyes stopped on a silver, heart shaped locket with and amethyst in the center. He took it into his hand to inspect it, a move that did not go unnoticed by Lance; “And who might you be getting that for?”

 

Keith could sense the tone in Lance's voice that he expected the answer to be a crush. “Was thinking for my mom.” he said flatly.

 

“Oh, huh, I don't know why I wasn't expecting that. That's really sweet.”

 

“I found some old pictures of my dad and I, thought she might be able to wear this to keep us close, even on missions.” He paused, now hearing Shiro's moaning words in his head; _'Make sure my collar can hide it'._ He then started to look through the single necklace chains they had.

 

“Wow, sounds like the perfect gift. Wish I could say I am having that much luck with finding something special for Allura.”

 

“Lance, remember what Shiro said, don't over think it.” Keith reiterated, paying for both the locket and the separate silver chain. He moved to stand next to his friend; “Listen, a gift isn't worth giving if it doesn't mean something, the only thing making it special will be because it came from you.” he held up his right hand; “I have had these gloves since I was sixteen, when Shiro gave them to me for my birthday. It had been eight years since I had gotten a gift and I can't tell you just how much they meant to me when I opened that box.”

 

Lance took Keith's words into consideration, placing his thumb and index finger to his chin, thinking as he scanned the jewelry counter; “She was pretty bummed she couldn't get 'something sparkly' when we went to the Space Mall that time...” his eyes then landed on a double bangle, blue bracelet. His eyes beamed as he held it in his hand.

 

He then felt Keith's right hand on his shoulder; “It's perfect.”

***

 

“Hm, it was a good thought, Pidge, but I don't think we can get enough power for it to hold.” Hunk commented as they tested the new shield module for their Paladin armors.

 

The Green Paladin sighed; “I think we would need something like the crystal that's in Shiro's arm for it to have any lasting effects-”

 

“What about my arm?” came the voice from behind them. The two jumped from where they stood, wide-eyed as they turned to see Shiro. The white haired man blinked; “What? It looks like you've seen a ghost, are you okay?”

 

The two then simultaneously frowned, adverting their gaze. “That's... not really funny, Shiro.” Hunk said softly.

 

Shiro's eyes began to grow concerned, normally he would just receive a groan if his morbid sense of humor missed a beat; “Okay, mind telling what this is about?”

 

Pidge lifted her sorrowful gaze; “You died, Shiro... You died and none of us knew what to say. It was all so... plain. Like we didn't know you outside of being a pilot...”

 

“Oh... you mean from when you were trying to comfort Keith.”

 

“He told you about that?” Hunk asked.

 

Shiro shook his head; “No I heard you, though muffled. You guys were right in front of the Black Lion.”

 

“Y-you could hear us?” Pidge questioned.

 

“Faintly. Things were louder when someone was in the cockpit, but I could see and hear everything that was happening around the Black Lion.” He gave them a gentle smile; “You guys shouldn't worry about that, I'm not holding your words against you.”

 

“But you are like family, Shiro.” Pidge interjected; “And family should be able to say something more than 'He was a legend'.”

 

“Hm... Follow me.” Shiro said, motioning his head to the door. Pidge and Hunk exchanged questioning glances before ultimately following Shiro out of the lab they had been in. They followed about a foot behind Shiro down the hallways and to their surprise, their destination was the Memorial Wall.

 

“Shiro... why did you bring us here?” Hunk asked.

 

“No matter how close you are to someone, sometimes it's impossible to find the right words after they're gone.” Shiro said, staring at the wall. His human hand lifting towards the plaque that belonged to Adam.

 

“Shiro?” Pidge questioned.

 

“I've come here a couple times, hoping to find the right words to say goodbye. But every time I go to say something, all I end up saying is; 'I'm sorry'. Nothing about how we used to laugh together or even how much we had loved one another. Nothing about how we met or even how we ended... just 'I'm sorry'.”

 

“Adam... died?” she inquired softly.

 

Shiro nodded as he turned to face the Paladins; “During the first wave of the Galra attack, at least that is what Iverson told me.” He moved closer to his friends, placing a hand on each of their shoulders; “My point, however, is that it's okay to not have the right words. Maybe someday you will or maybe you won't, but I know you guys felt something when I was gone and though you think your words were meaningless, the way you said them spoke volumes. If I take away anything from 'being a legend' or 'teaching you everything you know about piloting', it's that I was an inspiration to you all and that a part of me would live on through those means.”

 

Suddenly Pidge and Hunk both embraced Shiro, catching him off guard. His face was shocked for only a second before being replaced with a gentle smile as he returned the embrace.

 

“Thanks, Shiro.” Hunk said.

 

“Yeah, thank you...” Pidge echoed.

 

***

 

Shiro smiled as he saw his fiance enter their room. It was getting rather late and the white haired man was rather surprised to see his lover coming in at the given hour; “How did it go with Lance?”

“Fine, he just needs to get out of his own head sometimes.” he walked over to Shiro's side of the bed, sitting down beside the other man who had been reading over some leftover reports on his data pad, the wolf curled up right beside him; “I found something for you, close your eyes.”

 

Shiro gave a small shrug and did as requested. Keith removed his gloves so his ring was now visible, then took Shiro's human hand in his, carefully removing the gold band. “Why are you taking my ring off?”

 

“You'll see.” he reached into the small bag and removed the silver chain. He slid the ring onto the necklace then proceeded to place it around his fiance's neck. “Okay, open em up.”

 

Shiro opened his eyes then reached his human hand to the ring that now rested on his chest. He smiled at Keith; “Thank you.”

 

“I just wanted to be close to your heart.” he inched closer, leaning forward to meet Shiro half away and pressed their lips together.

 

 


	5. Maybe I'm a Lion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith decides to tell Krolia about their engagement in lieu of giving her the locket. Voltron and Atlas are supposed to run drills only for Shiro to collapse. Keith stays at his side, while the other Paladins decide to do what they can for Shiro and Keith. "The White Lion isn't done with Shiro yet."

Keith sat at the counter connected to the kitchen, the locket for his mother rested to one side of him, while pictures littered about in front of and to his other side. Shiro sleepily made his way towards the coffee maker; he was dressed, but very loosely with his jacket undone and still barefoot; “Morning, Sunshine.” he said with a half yawn.

 

A small chuckle escaped Keith's lips at how cute his fiance looked; “Good Morning, Starlight. Did you sleep okay? You seemed to linger in bed after I got up.”

 

Shiro moved to the other side of the counter to sit across from Keith, taking a few sips of his much needed coffee; “I just have a small headache, no big deal.” he said. “Have you decided which ones you want to use?”

 

“Sort of?” he slid the three options he was thinking of towards Shiro, his age varying in each; “I like this one, but my face is kind of blocked by my stuffed hippo.”

 

Shiro looked at the other two options and laid his finger on the edge of the one that was making him smile; “I like this one, with you wearing your dad's fireman's helmet. It's cute.”

 

Keith gave a nod, agreeing with him, it was also a very nice and loving shot of his father. “I was thinking...” he paused, which earned him a quirked eyebrow; “that the second picture could be of you and me...”

 

“You mean one of the old pictures before I left for Kerberos?”

 

“No... like one of us showing off our rings.” he blushed a little.

 

“Y-you want to start telling people?” Shiro stuttered, a little surprised.

 

Keith chuckled again at his lover's display of cuteness; “Not people, just her. She isn't staying on Earth and is out more often than not so I would like to give her this when she comes today. After all, you'll be her son too.”

 

“Ahaha...” he rubbed the back of his neck, a thoughtful smile; “I guess I would be, huh? I love that idea, do you want to take a quick picture before I head to my morning meeting with Sam and Coran?”

 

“Sure.” he grabbed his data pad, flipping on its camera then handed it to Shiro, who was coming around to stand beside him. Shiro used his prosthetic to hold it out, getting the prefect angle for their apartment's lighting. Keith removed the glove from his left hand, holding it up to show off the gold band. Shiro took the ring that dangled from his neck in between his thumb and index finger and held it out next to Keith's ring finger. Once they were sure of their hands' positioning via the data pad screen, they moved in for a kiss and taking the picture that captured their love and promise.

 

Shiro lowered the data pad, setting it onto the counter top before breaking the kiss; “I'll see you at drills later today.” He gave Keith another quick peck on the lips before retreating back into their room to finish getting dressed.

 

***

 

Morning quickly shifted into early afternoon as Shiro, Sam and Coran walked the halls of the Garrison, leaving the boardroom to make their way to the hangers and Atlas for their drills. Shiro held his data pad out making eye contact with Krolia on screen every now and again as they walked. The four of them were discussing the new Blade of Marmora base and what they have witnessed as far as the Galra had been concerned.

 

The white haired man's movements began to slow, as the pounding in his head became worse. Krolia could see the slight pain in his eyes; “Captain, are you alright?”

 

“Yeah, just a minor headache is all...” Sam and Coran were now a little ways ahead of him. He went to make a couple large strides to catch up, but the pounding wouldn't cease. He felt dizzy and in pain and without warning he fell to the floor.

 

“Captain, are you okay?! What happened?! Shiro!!!” Krolia yelled through the screen.

 

Sam and Coran stopped in their tracks when they heard the clack of something against the floor. Their eyes went wide as they saw the Captain of the Atlas lying there; “Shiro!!” Sam shouted, running to his side. Coran was right behind him with a loud; “Oh quiznak!”

 

Sam rolled him over, concern showing in his gentle features. He pulled out his phone, calling into the infirmary to get a stretcher to their location. Coran picked up Shiro's data pad and saw the worried expression on Krolia's face; “I'm not sure what happened here.” Coran admitted; “I thought he was right behind us...” his voice full of concern.

 

“I'm leaving for Earth now, keep me informed of his condition.”

 

“Of course...” he ended the call. It didn't take long for the medical staff to come and retrieve their Captain and wheel him off to the medical wing, leaving Sam and Coran to sit and wait in the waiting room once there.

 

The Paladins stood in the hanger in front of their lions. Each of them smiling and even laughing among themselves. Lance grinned as he looked to their leader; “You ready to kick some Atlas butt?”

 

“It's not about winning.” Keith commented, though the drills they ran with Voltron and Atlas had a friendly rivalry.

 

“I know, I know. But you have to admit, beating Shiro each time feels a little good right? The man taught us all how to be a team, so to beat the man himself is quite a nice feeling.”

 

There was a pause, as they all contemplated the Blue Paladin's words. Keith smirked a little, giving a small shrug; “In a way, you're right. But now we have to return the favor.”

 

Allura nodded; “Keith is right, we are still unsure how Shiro is able to transform the Atlas.”

 

“Exactly,” Pidge interjected; “even with all the data I have been able to collect from these exercises, I still can't figure it out. At least on a scientific level. However, the more we do these drills, the more Shiro should be able to adapt and become more fluid in battle.”

 

They continued to just chat about anything and everything, but they soon became very aware that the day was ticking by and the Captain hadn't been seen or heard from. “This is weird, right?” Hunk said, breaking the notable silence that rested between them, worry slowly starting to seep in; “He usually tells if he's running late.”

 

“He's not answering his data pad...” Keith said as he sat on the claw to the Black Lion, his helmet resting on his knee while his arm laid across it. The holographic computer screen blipped off as he canceled the call; “The meeting really shouldn't have taken that long, unless my mother found something troubling.”

 

“All the more reason Shiro would have contacted us.” Allura said, she too trying to make contact with Coran.

 

“My dad isn't answering either...” Pidge sighed.

 

It was only mere minutes later did they hear slow footsteps moving towards them. They all turned to the large hanger doors to see Coran slowly making his way to them.

 

“Coran!” Allura called out. The older man stood in front of the Paladins, his face solemn. The Altean princess could tell something had occurred; “Coran?”

 

“I'm afraid I have some concerning news...” he said softly; “After our meeting, Shiro suddenly collapsed in the hallway...” They gasped in unison. Keith's eyes turned wide, his worry growing in the pit of his stomach, his heart aching as Coran continued; “He was brought into the infirmary, but has yet to awaken...”

 

That was all the Red Paladin needed to hear. Without a word he hopped off of the lion's paw, sending his helmet clacking to the floor, as he ran as fast as he could to the medical ward. It was something all too familiar to the others as they watched him retreat, their own hearts weighing heavy at the memory of when they lost Shiro.

 

_Alarms blaring. Energy surging. Screams echoing. All of these sounds echoed through the cockpit of the Black Lion. Shiro's eyes landed on the port for his bayard. Every part of him ached, beads of sweat dripping from his temples. 'This is it...' he thought. With all the strength he had, he plunged the bayard into the port, turning it to unleash its power._

 

_Zarkon was now gone, the lions torn apart from Voltron. Shiro looked out towards the other lions, tiredly as he lay adrift; 'I'm proud of you...' he thought. His breaths were becoming more and more shallow as his gray orbs began to close. A roar echoing in the back of his mind._

 

_Then there was nothing, but white. His eyes opened slowly to see something like an ancient ruin, something almost mystical about the structure. “Where am I?” he asked aloud._

 

As fast as his legs could carry him, Keith made it to the medical ward. He stopped somewhat breathless at the reception desk, slamming his hands against it; “Where's Shiro?” he demanded.

 

“Captain Shirogane I believe was taken down for an MRI-” she was cut off by Keith's sudden movement to go behind the doors; “I'm sorry, but you can't-” she was cut off again, this time by an intense glare from the Red Paladin. It was then that the rest of team Voltron and Coran came through the doors.

 

“If you think I am just going to sit out here, you've got another thing coming.” He watched the girl intently for a few moments. When she made no move to stop him farther he pushed passed the doors to the back, now attempting to find his Starlight.

 

It was unfamiliar territory for Keith, sure he had been there recovering after the fall, but Shiro was at his side navigating the labyrinth that was behind those doors. He rounded multiple corners, opting to go towards the patient rooms instead of intruding upon procedures when he caught a glimpse of a familiar white tuff of hair. “Shiro...” he said as he approached. There was a nurse on both sides of the gurney as they brought him into a private room. Upon hearing his patient's name, the doctor lifted his head to see Keith fast approaching.

 

“You and the Captain are very much alike.” he stated, a hint of a smile on his face.

 

“Is he okay?” Keith asked, dismissing the comment all together.

 

“Come with me.” The doctor said, motioning with his head for Keith to follow towards his office. Keith gave a long, concerned look to his lover then followed the doctor down the halls. Once in the office and the door was closed, the older man sat behind his desk. He gestured with his hand for Keith to take a seat as well; “You live with the Captain, is that correct?”

 

“Y-yeah.”

 

“Has he been eating well? Sleeping all right? Taking breaks from his hectic schedule?”

 

“As far as I am aware... he's seemed fine.” the worry clearly cutting through his voice. “Only thing he had mentioned to me was a headache this morning.”

 

The doctor clasped his hands in front of himself on the desk; “I'm going to be honest with you, Keith. It could very well be nothing more than mental exhaustion from being overworked or it could be something much worse. We won't know until the results come back.” He watched the Red Paladin advert his gaze while gently caressing his hand where his ring resided under his armor. “In light of how your Captain acted upon your recovery, I am going to say it's all right if you want to stay with him. But please be aware the results of his tests will take time. All we can do is wait.”

 

“Thank you...” he said softly. He got out of his seat and left the office, but before returning to Shiro, he needed to act as a leader first and reentered the waiting room to face his team. He wasn't even two steps out from when the doors open before his team rose from their seats, moving to stand before him.

 

“Did you see him?” Hunk asked.

 

“Is he okay?” Pidge questioned

 

Keith shook his head; “We won't know until his test results come back. I'm going to stay with him, I don't want him to be alone...”

 

Lance reached out and placed a hand on Keith's shoulder; “We're glad he has you, just know we're here for the both of you too. Anything you need us to do, just name it.”

 

“Thanks...” he took a breath as Lance retracted his hand. He looked into the Blue Paladin's eyes; “I want you and the rest of the team to run the drills with the MFEs along with Coran piloting Atlas. I'll send you both the strategies we were working on. It may not be exact, but we have to be prepared in case we can't form Voltron or Shiro can't transform Atlas. Record everything for me and I'll go over it later.”

 

“You got it.” Lance said with a serious tone. Keith watched his team turn to leave, but not before Pidge looked back at him, a worried smile at her lips; “Please take care of him.”

 

“I will.” Once they were out of sight he went back through the doors, making his trek towards his lover's room. His heart sank as he entered, seeing the IV drip and the light beeping of the heart monitor echoing off the walls. Keith removed his armor, placing it in the corner of the room, the under armor clinging to his body still as he took a seat on the edge of the bed, taking Shiro's human hand in his right hand, while reaching his left to touch Shiro's cheek; “Please... come back to me, Takashi...”

 

_A white-ish, blue hue began to take shape in front of the entrance to the ruins, a white lion now standing before him. Another roar is heard as a pruple-ish, black figure began to form into a black lion next it. Shiro blinked as the two ran inside the ruins; “Wait!” he called out, running after them. An echo of roaring rang through his head again, he stopped in his tracks as a dark, purple flash appeared before his eyes._

 

_The brightness dissipated and he recognized the eerie calm that was the astral plane. “No... why am I-?” he started to question, but then he heard the soft, sad voice of the one he loves._

 

“ _I know you wanted this for me, Shiro... But I'm not you....”_

 

_Shiro could then see himself, phantomed by death, kneeling in front of Keith as the Lion sprang to life, accepting him as her knew Paladin. “Please, no...” Keith whispered._

 

_Shiro reached his hand up, placing it on his friend's cheek; “I'm sorry, Keith... I'm so sorry...” he moved his other hand to place it atop of Keith's that rested on the controls; “You can do this... I believe in you...”_

 

_Another roar erupted, sending another purple flash into his vision. He was still on the astral plane, but he could see Keith in the pilot seat, searching through the debris field. Shiro felt his heart shatter as he witnessed now for the second time, Keith succumbing to his own sorrow. “Please... I know you're out there...” the tears began to fall; “Don't leave me... I still need you, Shiro...”_

 

_He watched his phantom self wrap his arms around his sobbing friend; “I'm so sorry, Keith...” he whispered; “I wish I could have said goodbye to you... I never wanted to leave you like this...”_

 

“ _Shiro.... please... I don't want to be alone...”_

 

“ _I'll always be with you...” though he knew Keith couldn't feel him, he tightened his grip; “But you have to stop looking for someone who isn't there anymore...”_

 

_Another roar sounded in his mind, the purple flash coming forth now bringing him to Keith searching again. His phantom self resting a hand on Keith's shoulder, wishing the younger man could feel it, to let him know that he was there with him and not adrift in space. The sensors blipped, zeroing in on a stray vessel, the Black Lion's eyes lit and it roared; “W-what's wrong?” Keith asked._

 

_Shiro too had the same question. Black zoomed in on the vessel, Keith's eyes widened in surprise as he floated closer, almost as if his eyes were locking onto the stars themselves; “We found him...”_

 

“ _Keith! Keith, that isn't me! KEITH!!!” The phantom Shiro shouted._

 

_The white light claimed him again, bringing him back to the ancient structure. The guardian's that once lined this hallway were now fallen onto the ground. The two lions stood a few feet away in front of the next doorway. The white haired man took a few good looks around at the destruction; “What happened here?”_

 

Keith moved his hand away from Shiro's face and turned quickly to the window as he could hear a faint roar in the back of his mind; “Black?” he whispered.

 

***

 

Lance removed his helmet as he exited the Red Lion, waiting for his fellow Paladins. The other three made their strides over to him, with him glancing towards Pidge, who was focused on the holo screen from her gauntlet; “How'd we do?” he asked, his voice had the hint of disappointment, as if he already knew.

 

“Keith isn't going to like this...” she admitted; “Though we managed to hit all our targets, our precision was way off. We had one too many friendly fire mishaps.”

 

Lance hung his head, but felt a little bit of weight lifted when he felt Allura's gentle touch on his shoulder; “It's not your fault, Lance.” Before anyone could say something more, footsteps could be heard echoing on the hanger floors. They all shifted their attention to find James Griffin moving towards them. He removed his helmet as he walked, placing it under his right arm. He stood firm when he stopped; back straight, eyes forward, face serious as he looked onto the Blue Paladin. “What?” Lance questioned.

 

“I understand that you all have other things on your minds, but the battlefield is no place for those to cloud your judgment.” he said sternly.

 

Lance's brows furrowed; “No, you don't understand. You have no idea what we have been through these past few years.”

 

James remained firm, but let out a small sigh; “Be as it may, you all could have used some proper leadership out there.”

 

The words cut deep as Lance just outright glared; “Well excuse me for not being up to your standards. Do you always say things like this when things don't go your way?”

 

“Lance...” Allura whispered, but she could tell he wasn't ready to back down.

 

“What are you talking about?” James questioned.

 

“I'm talking about you mocking Keith. How you said a machine was broken when he did better than you. And let's not forget the simulator incident that landed us three weekends of drills.”

 

“He punched me.” he reminded the Blue Paladin.

 

“Yeah,” Hunk agreed now standing right beside Lance. His normal friendly expression a tad more serious; “But you provoked him.”

 

“We were just kids back then.” James stated, looking the two of them in the eye; “We are different people now.”

 

“And no one understands that more than me.” Lance said; “But I have at least grown to not talk down to people for their mistakes or judge people before I get to know them. You seem to forget that we weren't trained as soldiers the same way you were, we were just thrown into it. We bonded, we became a family. And right now a member of our family could be fighting for his life, AGAIN, while another is terrified that he could lose him at any given moment and I won't let you make us feel guilty for caring about our family. So you do what you need to do for the MFEs and the Atlas or whatever it is to make yourself feel better. You just leave Voltron to us.” He took Allura's hand from his shoulder, interlacing their fingers; “And that includes Shiro.” He motioned for his teammates to follow, walking passed Griffin out of the hangers.

 

Once Lance felt like they had a good distance between them and the hanger he stopped his movement and looked back to the rest of his team, still maintaining his hold on Allura's hand. He gave it a gentle squeeze, which prompted her to give him a reassuring smile as he said; “I'm sorry guys...”

 

“Don't be.” Hunk said, crossing his arms.

 

“Yeah,” Pidge chimed in; “We were all distracted, it doesn't automatically fall on you because Keith wasn't there.”

 

“And even if he was,” Allura began to say, looking deep into Lance's ocean like eyes; “I'm sure he would want us to take responsibility as a team. You did your best, Lance, that's all we could have ever asked for.”

 

“Thanks guys.” He let go of the princess' hand and brought his gauntlet up, bring up the holo screen. He opened up a video chat, dialing Shiro's data pad as it had been the one that sent the orders on the drills to him. “No reason to send him that horrible data...” he stated as he awaited for Keith to pick up.

 

“Lance?” Keith questioned when he answered.

 

“Hey man, just want to save you the headache of looking at the data from the drills... We kind of screwed up big time.”

 

Lance could see Keith shift his gaze then bring it back to the screen; “It's okay. How did the Atlas and MFEs perform?”

 

“Fine, Coran seems right at home in the Atlas. The MFEs did their thing 'flawlessly'.” The word flawlessly almost sounded sarcastic.

 

“Something wrong?” Keith asked, raising an eyebrow.

 

“Hm? No, nothing.” Lance said quickly and then changed the subject to what everyone had been thinking about since leaving the medical wing; “How's Shiro?”

 

Keith again shifted his gaze, his expression worried; “Still no change, the test results still haven't come back yet.” he returned his attention to the screen; “Go rest up guys, I know you all did your best today. I'll contact you the moment I know something.”

 

“Roger that.” the call ended and the screen flickered off. He lowered his arm to face his team again; “There's gotta be something we can do...”

 

“It's been a few vargas and Keith doesn't look like he's left his side.” Allura states; “Maybe he would like a change of clothes instead of being in the under armor of his suit.”

 

“And maybe something to eat?” Hunk offers, his eyes lighting up as an idea crossed his mind; “I could make some mac n' cheese for when Shiro wakes up.”

 

Pidge chuckled; “I don't know, you'll be hard pressed to beat his favorite from the Garrison cafeteria.”

 

“Ha! I welcome the challenge!”

 

They all had a good, much needed laugh. Lance inhaled a few breaths, calming himself; “Okay, lets go get cleaned up and meet at their apartment.”

 

***

 

_A growl crept up from the belly of the white lion, though no forceful flash hit his vision, Shiro could see images overlaying on themselves, with an echoing voice of that of his friend._

 

“ _Great Protectors, we seek passage through your land.” he hears Allura say so elegantly. She kneels, extending her hand to reveal the Altean compass; “We bring you this gift...” Underneath the image of her, he could see the witch Haggar, kneeling within a spell circle releasing immense power, vanquishing the guardians in a massive blast. The black and white lions then roared, that purple light that had engulfed Shiro claimed him once more and he was back in the cockpit of the Black Lion._

 

_It was dim as he watched his clone enter, seated in the pilot's chair. His phantom self staring in disbelief, yet worried; “Where are you, Keith?” he whispered. He watched intently as the impostor pleaded with the lion as he heard the cries of his friends; "Please, people's lives are at stake... You trusted me once...” He closed his eyes. His ghostly form let his eyes drift shut as well; “What do we do, Black? He isn't me... but he genuinely believes he is...” There was a pause, then he heard his clone say; “Trust me again."_

 

“ _Let me see through your eyes...” The phantom said, “Let me help them.” The lights on the console flickered, the eyes to the lion sprang to life and roared, flying off into the stars to aid his companions._

 

_The white-ish blue flash brought him back to the ruins, the white lion already turned and heading up the stairs that resided in the next doorway. Shiro turned his attention to the black lion who only stared at him with glowing yellow eyes._

 

“Where is Captain Shirogane?” said a strong, female voice, hands slamming against the desktop that belonged the receptionist.

 

The woman turned around from her filing to see a beautiful Galra woman. Her eyes intense as she looked down at her, causing the receptionist to swallow hard; “I-I'm sorry, but only family is allowed-” she was cut off as the Galra woman pulled away from the desk towards the doors; “He is family.” she said matter-of-factly, pushing past the doors, not wanting to get into an argument.

 

Krolia turned a couple corners, stopping a nurse who then pointed her in the direction to Shiro's room. She made long strides down the hall, once the door hissed open she knocked on the door frame; “Keith...”

 

Keith turned to the sound of his name, his eyes surprised, but also relieved; “Mom...” he said, standing from the spot he had been sitting in next to his love. He let go of Shiro's hand, if only for a few moments, to embrace his mother as she came to stand by him.

 

“How's he doing?” she asked pulling back to look her son in the eye.

 

Keith frowned; “I don't know.... he hasn't even flinched since I have been here.” he closed his eyes, sighing in an attempt to remain focused; “I would have thought the results would have been back by now, but no one has said anything...”

 

Hunk and Pidge awaited their friends outside of Shiro and Keith's apartment. Once Lance and Allura closed in, the Green Paladin looked to the small paper in her hand and entered the one time emergency code to unlock the door. The wolf let out a small whine as he lifted his head from where he lay on the sofa, watching the Paladins enter. He hopped down and approached, receiving pets from everyone. Lance knelt down, giving him a few good scratches behind his ears; “Hey, Buddy.”

 

Pidge wandered over to the counter and took a seat, moving the scattered photos to the side so she could set up her laptop; “What's with all the pictures?” she asked. She took notice of a few that she knew were of Shiro before he left for Kerberos, but the others made her smile softly. The sight of a young boy full of smiles and laughter; “Is that Keith?”

 

Hunk moved over to take a look after removing his ingredients onto the counter that resided next to the stove top. He let out an “Awww...” as he looked through the photographs.

 

Lance glanced over, standing back on his feet; “He did say he found some old pictures. He was going to put a couple in a locket he bought for his mom.”

 

“That's really sweet of him.” Allura commented as she looked around. A smile tugged at her lips when her eyes landed on a stuffed hippo that was resting on the couch. She took a few steps over to it, lifting it into her hands. It was a light gray with a small tuff of white hair atop of its head. She giggled seeing a few stitches on the brim of its snout; “It kinda looks like Shiro.”

 

Pidge and Hunk looked over and nodded in agreement with Lance gliding over to her side, inspecting the stuffed animal. The corner of his mouth quirked into a smirk; “So a Shirippo?” the others groaned as Lance chuckled at his own joke.

 

“Well if you're done with that top notch material,” Pidge commented sarcastically, turning back to her computer; “Why don't you go get Keith's clothes.”

 

Lance shrugged and moved about the living room with Allura close in toe towards the hallway. They stopped at the first door, it hissed open to reveal a very basic office; a desk residing in the center, a few book shelves lining the walls, a chair behind and in front of the desk. The door hissed shut as they continued down the corridor. Lance and Allura both opened the next two doors on their way; one revealing a linen closet and the other a slightly larger than average bathroom. They made their way to the end of the hall, the last door sliding open revealing a rather spacious master bedroom. Lance quirked an eyebrow noting the one king size bed; “Is Keith sleeping on the couch or something?”

 

“Maybe they are just waiting on renovations?” Allura offered as they wandered about the room, looking through drawers and the closet for Keith's clothing. The Blue Paladin shook his head; “I doubt it would take two months to bring another bed-” he cut himself off, a thought clearly crossing his mind.

 

“Lance?”

 

“It's nothing, Princess.” He says, a hint of a content smile on his face. They managed to find a pair of jeans and t-shirt in the dresser along with his boots in the closet. Lance lead the way out of the room and back towards the living room and kitchen.

 

In the kitchen Hunk began grating a blend of three different cheeses for his mac n' cheese as Pidge clacked away on her computer's keyboard. “So, why the laptop?” Hunk questions.

 

“MRIs should only take an hour at most for the procedure and with Shiro being a high ranking official I would think they would want his results sooner rather than later. Keith should have heard something by now, so I am just taking a peek to make sure that information gets to where it needs to be.”

 

“You don't think something is really wrong do you? Like that maybe the clone body is starting to fall apart or something?”

 

Pidge shrugged; “I can't say for certain, so I am also looking into Shiro's medical records to compare it to the data from the healing pod to see any differences.” she let out a groan as her machine beeped and popped up a warning for a lower battery. She reached into her laptop's bag to pull out the power cord, silently cursing her short arms as she extended her reach to plug it into the outlet on the wall. Her wrist was just close enough to nudge the jewelry box that rested to her right, along with a couple pictures that the angle she was stretching from caused the them to crash to the floor.

 

The locket spilled out from the box, popping open on the floor. Pidge hopped down to pick up the fallen items, her inquisitive nature getting the best of her, she took a peek at the pictures inside the heart shaped metal, a smirk then played on her face. She heard Allura and Lance making their way back into the room as Hunk was peering over the the counter curious to see what Pidge was looking at.

 

Krolia pulled away fully, but still held onto her son's left hand, raising it to catch a good look at the golden band that rested on his finger. She smiled gently; “I see you two already exchanged your promise.” she said fondly.

 

Keith blushed, now realizing his hand was exposed. He glanced to Shiro quickly, noticing his necklace was removed, but was resting on the bedside table. He turned back to look his mother in the eye; “I was going to tell you...” he sounded almost shy.

 

“Keith...” she said softly, motioning for him to retake his seat. She continued to hold his left hand as she pulled the nearby chair closer for herself to sit in. “I have known for quite some time that this would happen.” she stated, her smile never leaving her; “When we were in the Quantum Abyss, you exchanging that promise with Shiro was one of the first things I saw as you slept.”

 

“Is that why you started to ask about him?”

 

“Yes...” she turned her gaze to her son's betrothed; “The moment I said his name, your eyes sprang to life with all the love and admiration in the world. There was a passion there that I was afraid was lost after your father was no longer with us.”

 

“I'm scared, Mom...” he admitted, his attention returning to Shiro. He felt her grip tighten on his hand.

 

“He'll be okay.” she promised, by the sound of her voice she was one-hundred percent sure of it.

 

Hunk continued to make his cheese sauce, Pidge was back on her computer and Lance and Allura sat on the couch next to the space wolf. Lance held the locket in his hands, staring at the photograph of Shiro and Keith showing off their rings; “I don't get why they didn't tell us...” the Blue Paladin sighed.

 

Hunk stopped his stirring to drain the now cooked pasta; “You don't think it's because they don't trust us, do you? I mean, Shiro has always been a private person around us, but he has never been afraid to be happy with us around.”

 

Lance placed the locket onto the coffee table then slumped back against the couch; “Maybe it was Keith who didn't want to say anything...” He sighed; “Maybe if we were nicer to him back then...” he trailed off.

 

“What do you mean?” Allura questioned; “I know you two had your differences to say the least when I first met you.”

 

Lance heaved a heavy sigh; “No one was really nice to him back then.” he admitted; “Looking back now, I was jealous of him. Jealous of his talent, jealous that he was close to my hero... I didn't know how to handle it.”

 

Hunk gave a sad nod; “I think everyone was jealous that he was around Shiro. Sure others would approach him and he would help or give kind encouragement, but it was nothing like the friendship he had with Keith.” He poured the now drained pasta into a baking dish, then proceeded to coat the noodles with the cheese sauce; “James might have been the worst.”

 

Pidge looked up from her screen momentarily; “In the hanger you said he provoked Keith, how so?”

 

“If I remember right, James was saying the only reason Keith was allowed to enter the Garrison was because of Shiro. Keith was defending himself and his abilities and then...” he paused, not only in his thought, but in his movement.

 

“Hunk?” Lance asked.

 

“Pidge, can you get into the old cadet files?” The Yellow Paladin asked. His normal kind, bright eyes now held a realization of sadness.

 

“Uh, sure? I'm looking for Keith, right?” she saw Hunk nod and did as asked. Her eyes too went a little sad as she skimmed the file; “He was all alone....”

 

Hunk came around to read the information, confirming what he had thought. Allura and Lance both now looked worried; “What is it?” The Princess asked.

 

Hunk turned his attention to them; “Right before Keith decked James, James had said 'is that what mommy and daddy told you'. We know Keith didn't know who his mother was until recently...”

 

“Okay...” Lance stood from his spot next to Allura to peer behind Pidge's shoulder to look at the file. Pidge pointed to where it had said that Keith was placed into an orphanage after his father had died when he was only eight years old. His eyes widened a little bit as Keith's voice rang in the back of his head; _“I have had these gloves since I was sixteen, when Shiro gave them to me for my birthday. It had been eight years since I had gotten a gift.”_

 

“Lance?” Pidge asked, looking over her shoulder.

 

“Shiro really was the only thing he had.” he stated, he looked back to his girlfriend, knowing she would understand how Keith must have felt as a child; “His father died...”

 

“Poor Keith...” Allura whispered, placing a hand over her heart.

 

Lance wandered back over, plunking down once again. He reached his arm around her shoulder, placing her in a half embrace; “I really regret not being kinder to him...”

 

Minutes had passed with silence filling the air as Hunk returned to make the finishing touches on the mac 'n cheese before putting it in the oven and Pidge went back to comparing Shiro's medical records to the most recent healing pod data. She paused in her typing; “Hey guys... did you know Shiro was sick?”

 

“What do you mean?” Hunk asked.

 

“According to this, at around age seven he was diagnosed with some kind of muscular disease...” She crossed her arms over her chest, sighing; “I remember my dad being infuriated that the Garrison was trying to bar Shiro from going to Kerberos, but I never thought it could have been because of something like this...”

 

Lance shook his head, his voice soft; “I had no idea...” he felt the Princess slump a tad under his grip; “Allura?”

 

“There was something foreign that had shown up on the healing pod's scan, back when we had rescued him and Keith after our first fight with Zarkon.”

 

“The pod couldn't cleanse it?” Pidge questioned.

 

“No...” she slumped farther. “It was too far spread...”

 

“Why didn't you say something?” Lance asked, curious and concerned, though his grip never faltered. He pulled her close as he saw a single tear trail down her cheek.

 

“Because... we needed Voltron.” It was an understandable statement to say the least, she breathed in deeply, adding; “It was also not our place to...”

 

Pidge nodded, but gave a reassuring smile; “Well the good news is that whatever that disease was is now gone. That illness must have been why Shiro asked me to go over the healing pod data on our way home.”

 

“Hm... let's see if I have this straight.” Hunk began to ponder; “Keith never had a mom back then, his dad died and then he was put into the system for seven years before he met Shiro-”

 

“And stole his car, and then the man bailed him out of Juvie.” Lance interjected.

 

“Right-” he paused; “Wait, what?”

 

Lance laughed; “I'll tell you later.”

 

“Okay...” there was another pause as he regained his train of thought; “Anyways, my point is he was alone for a long time before meeting Shiro, and then there is Shiro himself. I had heard he was quite popular, making friends whenever he could, broke records left and right; the over all 'Golden Boy'. But when you fast forward to after he met Keith, it seems like Keith was the beckon of hope or something.”

 

“Hm...” Pidge pondered for a moment, seemingly to follow where Hunk might have been going; “In that last year before Kerberos, I remember hearing Shiro telling Matt to cover for him if Adam came looking for him.”

 

“And we know he and Adam ultimately broke up, all the while Shiro was sick. What if Adam was treating Shiro like he was made of glass and that's what caused them to break up? Then we have Keith, who never stopped him, simply just believed in him. Just as Shiro had done for him...”

 

Allura smiled as she whispered; “'We saved each other...'”

 

“Princess?” Lance asked.

 

“It's what Keith said to Shiro when he awoke. Now I truly understand his words.”

 

There were smiles all around, soft and tender as they thought of their two friends and just how much they meant and continue to mean to each other. The Green Paladin stood from her seat, then closed the laptop; “I never expected to see a love this strong...” she said.

 

Lance and Allura stood from the couch as well, giving the wolf a few pats before moving towards the kitchen. “It's truly a sight to behold.” The Princess commented, taking a hold of Lance's hand.

 

“They may have each other, but they have us now too. Think it's time we go be there for our family and celebrate when he wakes up.” The Blue Paladin said, smiling brightly.

 

“Why have they not said anything...” Keith said aloud, frustration clearly coming through his voice. “It really has to be something bad if it's been hours and no one has come in besides a nurse to check his vitals and IV.”

 

“Keith,” Krolia interjected, hoping to distract from her son's worry; “Do you know the legend of Atlas?”

 

“Wha- what does that have to do with anything?”

 

“Do you?” she repeats calmly.

 

“Yeah... a titan who was punished to hold the sky onto his shoulders, though it's misinterpreted as the 'weight of the world'. Why?”

 

She grazed her son's engagement ring with her thumb; “I think it fits Shiro. Whether it be the world or the sky, this man takes everything onto his shoulders; his own burdens, his fears, his hopes; everything. But in turn he takes it for everyone else too, in hope that said world or sky doesn't come crashing down to hurt those he loves.” Keith slowly turned his head to face his mother. He saw the sweetest look on her face as she looked passed her son and looked to her soon to be son-in-law; “Everything I saw in the Abyss, every story you told me, everything I myself have witnessed; this man will always protect the ones he holds dear, even if it means he gets hurt in the process.”

 

“Mom...”

 

“But the difference is that he has you to help him. You and the rest of the Paladins. That weight is less of a burden when you have someone to believe in them...”

 

_Shiro followed the black lion up the stairs. The white lion staring at him intently, the room shifting from its ruins to a cloud filled sky. He heard the beast growl as it ran towards him. He went to move out of the way, but heard the echoing of Allura's angelic voice; “No, this isn't the way. I seek the secret of life... I give my own...” In the back if his mind he saw his friend kneel, so he followed the image; kneeling before the white lion as he was then engulfed in the blue-ish white light._

 

_It was like a blur, as if someone had taken clips of his memory and spliced them together in a rapid sequence;_

 

_Shiro reaches out his hand, back in the days of the Garrison, for a fifteen year old Keith to latch onto. Another white flash... he and Pidge sat next to each other when she catches him off guard, hugging him; "I'm so sorry I doubted you. Thank you, thank you so much." She cried. Shiro returned the embrace, comforting her, knowing how she felt in that moment; "I can tell you really miss them, I know they miss you too.” He smiled, “Your brother and father would be proud of you, Katie." there was a small pause as she looked up at him; “Don't worry, your secret is safe with me." A faint aura of green emerged, forming into a green lion before him, a soft voice then echoed; “You understood... you understood her feelings and desire for her family. Understood her need for acceptance, but also secrecy...”_

 

_Another flash, His own voice echoing into the nothingness; “Owning who you are will make you a better Paladin.”_

 

_An image came into view of Keith holding onto his Marmora blade; “It doesn't matter where I come from, I know who I am.”_

 

_Another flash of white, the yellow lion desperately trying to keep the arc from falling to to pit of acid; "I can't hold it any longer!" Hunk yelled. Shiro's strong voice was quick to respond; "Hunk, you have to! If you let go, the Taujeerians will die." Hunk gritted his teeth, a scream of ferocity erupted from the pit of his stomach. A surge of energy ripped through the lion, coating it in armor; "Oh, whoa, armor claws!" The yellow Paladin shouted, digging the massive claws into the ground. A faint aura of yellow emerged, forming into a yellow lion before him, a soft voice echoed; “You understood his fear.... You understood what needed to be done... By affirming the dire situation, you gave him strength... Strength he needed to believe in himself and search for the power within...”_

 

_Another white flash; Shiro, Lance and Pidge floated in space as they escaped from the Galra prison ship with Slav. Lance armed with his blaster fired, nailing a direct hit. Shiro smiled looking toward him; "And that's why we bring our 'Sharp Shooter'!" As they floated away, Lance gave a satisfying smile. A faint red aura emerged, forming a red lion before him, a soft voice echoing; “You understood the desire of wanting to belong... Though he is passionate, you understood his self doubt... You're words were more than kind, they rang true, with each act of kindness, did he slowly begin to change... You understand what everyone is capable of...”_

 

_Another white flash; The Paladins and Coran stood before the Black Lion that lay limp in its hanger. The sorrow that filled the air was thick as the princess stepped forward to address the one who was most torn by sadness; “Keith, I know exactly how you feel. But our mission is bigger than any one individual. Even those who are completely irreplaceable...” A faint blue aura emerged, forming into a blue lion before him, a soft voice echoing; “Your presence is a strong one, one that is felt by all and can never be replaced. You took on her fight... You understood what it meant for everyone to make a stand.... To those you have known for a long time, to those who you had only known for phoebs, you became apart of them... a much needed form of strength, guidance and love in their lives...”_

 

At the reception desk, the four Paladins stood, trying to convince the young woman; “There's gotta be some way you can let us back there.” Hunk reasoned.

 

“I'm sorry, unless the doctor states otherwise, no one is to see Captain Shirogane.”

 

The four looked to each other in silence, each of their eyes went wide after a brief moment as they heard the roars of their lions. Their eyes darted to the double doors and without a word they moved at a quick pace to be at their friends side.

 

The receptionist just stared, her mouth a gape before she sighed; “Why do I even bother....”

 

_Another flash of white, his own voice echoing into the void of space as he sees the Black Lion flying towards a falling Keith and his clone; "I will never give up on you..." Another flash of white came quickly as he sees the five Paladins sitting inside Voltron. Keith's eyes were strong, full of determination as he watched the pod fly hastily towards the wormhole; "Shiro would never give up on us, we can't give up on him!" he said, Voltron slowly moving to its feet. Raw determination radiating in them to save someone dear._

 

_The purple-ish aura of the black lion stepped through the scene, standing before Shiro, its eyes glowing bright. The image of Keith's face smiling back at Shiro paved the scene behind it, his voice soft, but no hesitation in his answer; “As many times as it takes.” Rapidly the image began to change, jumping from memory to memory; of all the times Keith had fought to save him, believed in him and over all just wanting to see him. A soft voice echoes; “You understand the importance of a bond... Understand what it means to think and feel through another's eyes... another's heart.... You understand what it means to love and for that this bond will never be broken...”_

 

_Shiro stood before all six colored lions, the image behind them he holds dearly to his heart. Keith held him in his arms as the others looked upon him. His eyes heavy and tired, but fondly he speaks out as he looks to Keith; “You found me...” A voice echoes out once more; “You never ran away... You never looked down on others in their moment of weakness... A strong leader, a compassionate friend, a loving companion... You have more than overcome these trials, you have embraced every challenge that has come your way... Let that be your strength, as we fight together...” One by one, the multiple colored lions let out a mighty roar._

 

Keith's violet eyes widened as he again heard a familiar sound; “Black, what's going on?” he said, worried and almost frantic. His and his mother's eyes turned towards Shiro as a white blue light surrounded him, the building began to rumble and shake.

 

Krolia let go of her son's hand and moved towards the window, her eyes went large as she set her gaze towards the sky. Shiro's data pad began to ring persistently. Keith reached out for it; “Keith, what the quiznak is going on?” Coran asked, concerned.

 

Keith looked down towards his fiance who still seemed to be in a calm sleep, but the light emitting from his was quite radiant; “I'm not sure... what's going on outside? Why is everything shaking.”

 

“It's the Atlas, it's transforming on its own!”

 

“What?!” Keith removed himself from the bedside to look out the window. In the distance they could see the massive war ship taking shape of the over sized weapon.

 

The door to Shiro's room slide open as multiple footsteps tapped against the floor running to the window. Lance's eyes almost bugged out of his head; “Is that he Atlas?!”

 

“But how?” Pidge exhaled, amazed at what she was seeing.

 

A low groan was heard from behind them, followed by a soft; “Keith...?”

 

The Red Paladin whipped around, tears stinging the back of his eyes. He pushed passed every one, taking a couple long strides to Shiro's bedside. Without a second thought, he leaned in with a passionate kiss and embrace. The others looked on, thoughtful at the loving display. Keith pulled away moment later, resting his forehead against his beloved's; “What happened to you?” came the raspy question.

 

“I'm not quite sure to be honest...” Keith pulled back and took his seat again on the bed as Shiro adjusted to look at everyone; “I kept hearing a sound that was something like a growl or roar... similar to that of the lions'... I remember talking to Krolia over the data pad as we were heading to drills, but the next thing I knew I was standing outside some kind of ancient ruin with a white lion...”

 

“A white lion....” Allura said softly as Shiro continued; “A black lion soon appeared too... they walked me through, showing me events that had transpired in the structure from your visit” he paused looking at Allura; “And the witch's... And then I saw memories... of you all with a voice talking to me... as if it had been judging me...”

 

Allura smiled; “It seems the white lion has chosen you to reveal it's knowledge... You bonded with Atlas the same way we bond to the lions of Voltron.”

 

Keith smiled, taking Shiro's human hand in his, holding it close to his chest; “I told you you were still a paladin...”

 

“I guess I am.” he smiled at everyone; “I'm glad you're all here.”

 

“So,” Lance started, arms crossing his chest, his eyes squarely on the Captain of the Atlas and the Leader of Voltron; “You two getting married or what?”

 

Shiro blushed as he chuckled to himself; “I guess the secret is out...” he whispered to his fiance. Shiro moved to his right, pulling Keith towards him, to sit at the head of the bed with him, their hands intertwined.

 

Keith looked down to their hands, watching his ring glisten under the light. His smile was fond and sweet. He glanced over to Shiro whose eyes were filled with love, gazing at the group just behind Keith. Keith too shifted his look to address everyone. Before he had liked the thought that it was just for them, but he realized that it still was in away. It wasn't just for the two of them, it was for the people they cared about, the people that became and are their family; “We're engaged.” He said softly, yet filled with joy.

 

Hunk grinned; “Yeah, you are!” he shouted bounding over and throwing his arms around the two of them followed by the other paladins, forming a massive group hug.

 

Krolia watched from the windowsill, her smile loving as she gazed upon her two sons and their family. Hearing the rapid fire questions of “how long” and “when had the relationship started”, to “who had proposed” and to “when and where the wedding would be”. All questions she knew the answers to, but wanted the journey to be the best part for both of them.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry James, I just really wanted to yell at you for the way you treated Keith back then, plus I actually really like that it was Lance who did it. I know James helped Hunk locate and attempt to rescue his family, but I feel the situation is a little different.
> 
> I hope you all enjoyed it!!

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you all enjoy my little headcannons and what I would like to see in season 8!!


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